Tennessee county history series : McMinn County / by C. Stephen Byrum ; Frank B. Williams, Jr., editor

Tennessee County History Series

EDITORIAL BOARD

Frank B. Williams, Jr., Editor for East Tennessee
Robert B.Jones, Editor for Middle Tennessee
Charles W Crawford, Editor for West Tennessee
J. Ralph Randolph, Coordinator

EDITORIAL STAFF
Anne B. Hurley

TENNESSEE COUNTRY HISTORY SERIES

McMinn County

by C. Stephen Byrum

Frank B. Williams, Jr.

Editor

tc Ijp hs

MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Memphis, Tennessee

Copyright © 1984 by Memphis State University Press

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical
(including photocopying and recording) or by any information
storage and retrieval system without permission from the
publisher.

Maps prepared by MSU Cartographic Services Laboratory

Manufactured in the United States of America

Design by Gary G. Gore

ISBN 0-87870-176-1

TO PHYLLIS

Acknowledgements

This work has truly been a labor of love. It has given me the
opportunity to explore my roots in a special way, and has pro-
vided the chance to add substance to that feeling of uniqueness
that McMinn County has always provided for my life.

My hope is that this book has been written in such a way that
not only trained historians and accomplished history "buffs" can
profit from contact with it, but that school children and non-
academics can be brought to have interest in and appreciation
of their own geographical and historical backgrounds. Someone
wisely remarked that it is difficult to know where we are going
unless we have some idea of where we have been.

The thorniest problem in writing this book has been the de-
cisions about what would be left out. It is certain that much more
has been omitted than has been included. I hope that at some
future time this material will become the basis for an exhaustive
history of McMinn County. But space limitations and economic
considerations notwithstanding, this material does represent the
first specific attempt at an even relatively complete county his-
tory o£ this area.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of all those who
shared their personal reminiscences, and those whose often un-
credited work appeared across the years in newspaper articles
and retrospectives about the county that I have researched. Both
The Daily Post- Athenian and the Etowah Enterprise have turned out
excellent special edition histories in the last several years. I am
particularly indebted to the writing of James Burn, Neal Ens-
minger, Frank McKinney, W. E. Nash, Grace Oliphant, and Mrs.
Harold Powers in these papers. I am also indebted to the DPA
for several of the older pictures that have been included. Burn,
the McMinn County historian, made numerous helpful sugges-
tions following his close reading of the original manuscript.

Those who have worked with this project at Memphis State
University Press have been of utmost help. I am indebted to the
advice and direction of J. Ralph Randolph. In addition, the ex-

vi

McMINN vii

ceptional editorial assistance of Frank Williams and Nancy Hur-
ley has enhanced this material tremendously. My special gratitude
must be expressed to them.

Most importantly, 1 appreciate the support of my family in
this project. My son, Philip, did a good deal of the initial research
on the Indian activities in the area. My daughter, Meredith, re-
peatedly provided "good company" on jaunts into the backwoods
of the county to run down some lead or visit some site. My wife,
Phyllis, has a gift for clarity of expression and what will be of
lasting interest that has contributed immeasurably to the fin-
ished product. With great affection, I dedicate the work to her.

History is dynamic and most of it is lived out between the
lines of that which finally is recorded in documents. This book
is an affectionate look backward, a pause that allows us to re-
member — and in remembering, to see a "best" about ourselves
that compels us to move into the future with renewed vitality.

A Preface of Wanderings and Personal Glimpses

When I think about McMinn County, I recognize that it has
already taken on mythological proportions in my own mind —
perhaps everyone's "home" does. It is sometimes difficult to sort
out a myth, particularly in the South, and to preserve a sensitive
tension between, on the one hand, the idea that this place that
you care a great deal about is unique, and on the other, that there
must be thousands of other small counties just like it — with sim-
ilar histories and similar faces — from one end of this nation to
the other. What our age desires is fact and not myth, but what
we may need is feeling, too — so that the bones of the past can be
given flesh and the cold vestiges of historical data, the faded,
one-dimensional photographs of unremembered faces and un-
accustomed styles can be warmed with memory and appreciation.

There is a distinct difference between history and heritage.
Heritage is history that has somehow become personal. It is her-
itage that I am attempting to convey in these pages. More than
to give a history of the county, I would like to convey something
of the feeling of the place. If, beyond the data and the pictures,
the names and the dates, there is created "a sense of place," then
I will have been successful.

As I try to work back through the layers of my own myth, I
see the photographs of Margaret Bourke-White in You Have Seen
Their Faces and Walker Evans in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.
I, too, have seen the old Coca-Cola and Nehi signs with the ther-
mometers built into the bottles, the walls covered with Cardui
and Black Draught calendars, the faces which are shy before
cameras but also proud of new, harnesslike overalls and blue
serge suits. While I am sure that the pitiful poverty and degra-
dation of the tenant sharecroppers captured by the photographs
in the 1930s could have been found in McMinn County, on the
whole it seemed always to be a more affluent, cleaner, less-given-
to-extremes, and generally happier place than the highly dra-
matized, southern myths might suggest.

The Civil War did not rage here, although there were a few
battles and skirmishes. There were few, if any, antebellum man-
sions of the Tara variety, although there were and are many fine
homes. Neither the KKK nor the Civil Rights movement became

viii

McMINN ix

items of major significance, although there have been moments
of memorable division and conflict. From the county's inception
there has been change, but like its waterways — the Hiwassee,
Eastanallee, and Conestaga — it has almost always been calm, easy,
consistent, and at times even touched with a marked beauty.

Another part of my personal myth grows out of the work of
one of the greatest Tennessee literary figures, James Agee. Sur-
rounding the plot of his epic A Death in the Family are human
glimpses of Knoxville and East Tennessee in the early part of the
1900s. His description of the homes — "middle-sized gracefully
fretted wood houses, with small front and side and more spa-
cious back yards, and trees in the yards, and porches" — perfectly
describes the finest dwellings which spread out from Washington
Street and Madison Avenue, along Jackson Street across the
bridge, and surrounding the college in the Athens of my youth.
These were proud structures, like the people who lived in them,
reflecting a precise attention to detail and craftsmanship which
sometimes seems almost totally lost, unnecessary, or unafford-
able in the sameness of the modern dwelling.

Agees most poignant scene is of the summer evening ritual
of men coming home from work, completing their evening meals,
removing their starched white collars, and spending a good part
of the early evening with hose in hand watering their lawns. With
an almost religious precision the hose is uncoiled, the nozzle finely
adjusted, the lawn given its nightly drink, and then the hose
carefully recoiled and stored away.

It is not of the games children play in the evening that I want to
speak now, it' is of a contemporaneous atmosphere that has little
to do with them: that of the fathers of families, each in his space
of lawn, his shirt fishlike pale in the unnatural light and his face
nearly anonymous, hosing their lawns. These sweet pale stream-
ings in the light lift out their pallors and their voices all together,
mothers hushing their children, the hushing unnaturally pro-
longed, the men gentle and silent and each withdrawn into the
quietude of what he singly is doing, peaceful, tasting the mean
goodness of their living like the last of their suppers in their mouths;
while the locusts carry on this noise of hoses on their much higher
and sharper key.

x Tennessee County History Series

Lawn is a curious word, a sophistication of yard, and certainly
a far cry from the solid red-clay living spaces that surrounded
settlers' cabins which were meticulously swept daily by the women
as they also swept the dirt "floors" of the insides of their cabins.
A lawn may have represented the first thing grown for decora-
tion and not food; the spigot in the wall, quick and easy water
that did not have to be laboriously carried in small amounts from
a well, cistern, or spring. The evening ritual allowed the men,
surrounded by their places and their families, a moment of med-
itative solitude.

In my earliest memories, my father stood there with his
neighbors on summer evenings and watered his lawn. He and
his neighbors were not dressed in the suspenders and collarless
white shirts of Agee's Knoxville, but the matching green or gray
of a factory foreman's uniform from Sears 8c Roebuck. He always
paid careful attention to a pecan tree to mark the fact that he
had lived in this place. My brother and I were put to bed with a
Bible storybook that had served two generations, and the hissing
of the hose became our lullaby. The sameness of the ritual gave
security.

But, we always stirred when our mother left the room — to
stare out across the semidarkness of neighbors' backyards to the
Keith mansion which dominated the horizon and Highway 1 1
before there was a bypass and long before there was an inter-
state. We counted cars and dreamed of where they were going.
We wondered what people did in mansions. We listened to the
spray of hoses, and like many before and since found our own
way of sinking indelibly imprinted roots of McMinn County deep
into the subsoil of our existence.

Finally, my myth crosses the path of that superb Yankee poet,
Wallace Stevens, and particularly his poem "Anecdote of the Jar."
I have pondered it again and again from my own perspective as
it has been informed by McMinn County.

I placed ajar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.

McMINN xi

The wilderness rose up to it.
And sprawled around, no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground.
And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion everywhere.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee.

The poet wintered in Florida during the early middle of this
century and traveled by train and car through Tennessee on his
way South — perhaps I counted his car one night as I stared out
my window. Tennessee, compared to the urban organization of
his Connecticut home, was wildernesslike and came to represent
a general chaos of life that needed focal points — like the jar —
that could give definition and meaning.

I have always been troubled by Stevens analogy, especially in
regard to McMinn County. Undoubtedly it was a wilderness when
the first explorers under Hernando DeSoto came through the
area in 1540. In many respects, the wilderness probably contin-
ued its existence through 1819 when the county was officially
established.

But, a wilderness is not necessarily careless, untidy, or slov-
enly — to use Stevens' word. A wilderness is also a challenge and
an opportunity, an unmolded piece of clay, for those who have
the courage to take it into their hands and make something out
of it. These kinds of people do not simply need focal points to
provide meaning in the midst of chaos, the tenacity of their own
lives provides and becomes a focal point. Their lives impart mean-
ing, and squeeze creation out of chaos. These kinds of people
founded counties like McMinn, becoming respectful inheritors
of the past and responsible transmitters of the best of that past
to the future.

In the fall of 1946 the most famous moment in the history of
McMinn County took place. "The Battle of Athens"pitted newly-
returned veterans, who had come to learn a new meaning of
freedom in the hedgerows of France and the jungles of the South

xii Tennessee County History Series

Pacific, against the powerful political establishment backed by
Shelby County's "Boss" Crump, one of the most powerful south-
ern politicians since reconstruction. News of the "Battle," which
will be described in detail in a later chapter, spread across the
country, and inspired a series of such moments of "participatory
democracy" in many locations.

Theodore White, famous for his volumes on the making of
presidents, was dispatched by Harper's Magazine to chronicle the
events. Whites first impressions of the people and the county
are revealing:

The people of McMinn County, like the taut, coppery wires of the
high tension lines which cross above them, hum with subdued
peaceful activity until they are disturbed, and then, like the wires,
they snap in a shower of sparks. The people are god-fearing. When
the Robert E. Lee highway climbs out of the Shenandoah Valley,
which can take its religion or leave it, into East Tennessee on the
road to McMinn county the highway is sprinkled with signboards
telling the godless wayfarers that "Jesus is coming soon" or warn-
ing them "Prepare to Meet God." McMinn itself is relatively free
of such shrieking witnesses to faith. McMinns religion is Methodist
and Baptist, quiet, bone-deep, and sober. On Saturday afternoon
when farmers throng the town, preachers are allowed to call sin-
ners to repentance in the shade of the courthouse at the county
seat. But most of McMinn meets God in the serenity of Sunday
morning at the red brick or white board house of worship in peace
and devotion. The church-goers have made liquor illegal, and
Sunday movies are unlawful, too.

Whites words were written almost forty years ago, and much
of the physical landscape of McMinn County has changed. How-
ever, the "internal landscape" has varied little. Religion and
politics continue their influences. Slogans may have changed and
even made their way to bumper stickers on cars, but still the oc-
casional cross formed in concrete announces that "Jesus is Com-
ing." The power lines still hum with TVA power, although now
from nearby nuclear reactors. There are Sunday movies, but liq-
uor is still illegal and lawmen and bootleggers only occasionally
continue their ironic roles.

McMINN xiii

"Moonshine" holds little more than a cultural and aesthetic
significance, as the accessibility of Knoxville and Chattanooga
has made the art useless and unprofitable. Every few years a liq-
uor referendum is held and the church leaders rally the "forces
of good" to face the "principalities and powers of the rulers of
the darkness of the world." They continue to win by safe mar-
gins, and yet another periphery of the Kingdom of God is secured.

Another Tennessean, Alex Haley, wrote recently about "roots."
Somewhere between the myth that has grown in my mind, the
view from a windy ridge, and the quiet of an old mill stream, I
find McMinn County. My roots, like those of many like me, are
found there. This is our story.

j¥:

c M I N N County covers 420 square miles of south-
east Tennessee. It is characterized by wooded knobs, low ridges,
panoramic vistas punctuated by the distant peaks of the Unakas
and Great Smokies, and a life-giving system of seven major creeks
which flow into the Hiwassee River along the county's southern
boundary. The woodlands are full of game, the hills rich with
ore, and the creeks a source of rich fertilization for the soil, en-
ergy for the operation of machines, and transportation.

It has been a place across the years where Indians, white set-
tlers, and a few slaves did not simply survive but built lives that
held every promise of being better in the future. For many, that
promise has been kept; for many others, it continues to be
renewed.

The English poet William Wordsworth was convinced that
the essence of a place was not really captured until the beauty
of the natural geography was experienced first hand. For
Wordsworth this experience came from walking the country-
side, and the rural backcountry areas in McMinn County can be
traversed today with much the same impressions that the Indi-
ans and first settlers would have had two centuries ago. The county
can be written about, and such writing will further knowledge
about it; but to really be known, it must be walked, traversed

j |- J LOU DON

t-T'X. COUNTY

LEGEND

MCMINN
COUNTY

ISU Cartographic Servicer. Laboratory

(§) COUNTY SEAT
• Other Communities

r* 1 Governmental Land Uses

A™/ Interstate Route

•{™\- Federal Route

J\Tjp- State Route

* — n local Route

RAIL SERVICE

^^fe Major Streams

SOURCE Tennessee Department ot Transportation

McMINN 3

again and again, until it is experienced and known up close and
personally.

The land is given its character by the Hiwassee River which
forms its southern boundary, and by the mighty Tennessee River
which flows within only a few miles of most of the county's west-
ern border. Six major creeks also wander across the landscape.
Consequently, there are a series of ridges and sprawling creek
valleys. The land is rich and often lush, making conditions ideal
for the large farms that have existed since the earliest settle-
ments. The streams made a variety of mill industries possible,
and the rivers first provided efficient transportation and even-
tually the boon of cheap electrical power that attracted major
industry in later years.

The best views are from the ridge tops, especially when the
vistas spread out toward the east with Starr's Mountain and the
Great Smokies rising as backdrops. The roads that lead out of
Etowah and Englewood toward Tellico Plains and the northern
part of Polk County pass through some of the most beautiful
countryside in all of Tennessee — Mecca Pike is aptly named.

There are other byways that are well worth the time spent
exploring: northeast of Athens through the Mayfield farms and
the Mount Harmony community toward Madisonville; north-
west of Athens along the Old Niota Road; from near the Meigs
County line back through the valley to Riceville; the Piney Grove
Road down toward Polk County and then back along what is now
called the Bowaters Road to Calhoun. The streams must be fished,
if only for the quiet that is still there and the occasional evidence
of an old mill. Wordsworth would have loved it.

From Pre-Indians Days to the Cherokee Removal

There is no way to tell with precision how far back into his-
tory civilized life has existed along the banks of the Tennessee
and major tributaries like the Hiwassee. The farmers who tilled
the soil in the bottom land near Calhoun continually found skel-
etal remains and artifacts until the 1930s when the TVA dams
were built.

4 Tennessee County History Series

In all likelihood there was habitation here as far back as per-
haps 6000 bc; the period from 6000-1000 bc is often known as
the Archaic Period. In other parts of the world at this time other
river civilizations were also coming into existence, notably along
the Nile in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates in the ancient Near
East, and the Indus River valley in India.

A second period of likely habitation is known as the Wood-
land Period, and sometimes is referred to as the Wigwam Period
because of the type of dwellings that were constructed. The peo-
ple of this period, approximately 1000 bc-1000 ad, were pri-
marily hunters. They are sometimes called "Mound Builders"
because of their burial practices, and although no major mounds
have been excavated in McMinn County itself, such mounds could
easily be obscured, given the rolling nature of the countryside,
erosion, and the growth of vegetation over a millennium or more.

Several years ago on an island near the mouth of the Hi-
wassee west of Calhoun two pieces of statuary closely resembling
idols worshipped by the Aztecs of Mexico were discovered. The
statues were characterized by wide open mouths just like the
Aztec sacred icons. Since no North American Indians were sup-
posed to be idol worshipers, it was generally assumed that these
were artifacts left by DeSoto and his men as they moved through
the area in the mid- 1500s. However, it could as easily be that the
artifacts were relics of some much-older civilization that touched
the region.

Hiwassee Island, described in the sesquicentennial edition of
The Daily Post-Athenian as "an island that parts the current of the
Tennessee River where the yellow Hiwassee boils into it from the
Big Smokes," is an intriguing place. Mounds as well as pyramidal
buildings that housed an intricate worship system and were
probably part of a culturally advanced community have been
excavated here. In later years Sam Houston had a home there.

A more settled group of hunters and farmers, the Mississippi
Indians, appeared around 1000 ad throughout the state. This
group later evolved into the more specific Creek tribe in the east
and Chickasaw in the west. The state was traversed by trade routes
and warpaths, some that regularly carried tribal movements from

McMINN 5

as far away as Illinois and Florida. By 1700 the powerful Cher-
okee tribe, which is of greatest significance to McMinn County,
migrated into the area from near the Great Lakes and drove the
Creeks into Georgia. A lesser tribe, the Yuchi, from which the
familiar Meigs County name Euchee is derived, was also forced
to leave the immediate area.

The Cherokees had a tremendously complex society. They
were careful managers of their environment, humane in the de-
velopment of their tribal relationships, and sensitive to the need
to educate their children. Some of the most important advances
of native American civilization, such as the written language de-
veloped by the great leader Sequoyah in the early 1800s and a
form of self-government modeled on that of the United States
Constitution itself, were Cherokee. Although the Cherokees may
have cooperated with the English in the Revolutionary War pe-
riod, by the time of the wars against the troublesome Creeks and
Chickamaugas, and the War of 1812 they were actively involved
in the American advance.

One of the most significant battles of this period involved a
McMinn County native Cherokee, John Walker, who will be dis-
cussed in detail later. The Creeks of Georgia and Alabama had
rallied to the war cries of the British-inspired firebrand Te-
cumseh. On August 17, 1813, between 250 and 400 settlers were
killed in the Fort Mirns Massacre on the lower Alabama River in
Georgia. As word spread of this event, 2500 men from the re-
gion, both white and Cherokee, volunteered — here the state of
Tennessee got its nickname — to fight for Andrew Jackson. The
great Cherokee chief, Junaluska, gave the support of his people
to Jackson, and on March 27, 1814, at the Battle of Horseshoe
Bend nearly one thousand Creek warriors were killed and the
British-Indian alliance broken. John Walker, perhaps the most
famous early McMinn Countian, was a major in Jackson's forces.

John Hart, a white settler from Roane County, was also a
commander of part of Jackson's Tennessee volunteers, and was
killed at Horseshoe Bend. His son, also named John, came to
McMinn County as a youth and founded one of the county's old-

6 Tennessee County History Series

est families. The white settler and the Cherokee native found
many occasions to fight side by side.

As will be seen, it was mainly Cherokees who intermingled
with the original white settlers in the area. There were numerous
mixed marriages, and by the time written county records began
to be kept it would have been difficult to find older McMinn
County families that did not have some specific Cherokee line-
age. This is especially true of those who settled in the Calhoun
area. The Cherokee background is a proud aspect of the county's
heritage, and from its inception one county high school athletic
team has been appropriately known as "The Cherokees."

Hernando DeSoto was born soon after Columbus discovered
the new world, and he spent his entire life consumed with ideas
of discovery, exploration, and conquest. He was with Francisco
Pizarro in Peru, and Inca gold and jewelry made him wealthy.
In 1539 he used his fortune to finance an expedition to North
America to find rumored cities of Indian gold and silver.

DeSoto was appointed governor of Cuba and Florida, which
was the name used for the entirety of the southeastern United
States. Many of the nearly 1000 men who accompanied DeSoto
to America were ill-prepared to be frontiersmen; they were often
affluent young Spaniards whose thirst for gold outweighed their
good sense. DeSoto was so insecure about their ability to per-
severe in the new world that when they disembarked near pres-
ent-day Tampa Bay he ordered the ships to return to Cuba.

It is difficult to know what word to use to describe DeSoto's
journey through the Southeast. In a sense the men were ex-
plorers and discoverers, but in perhaps a more accurate view
they were lost wanderers at the mercy of the environment and
the Indians who often both befriended and harassed them. The
best evidence suggests that crafty Indian chieftains discovered
that promises of cities of gold farther along kept the Spaniards
moving and kept them from being much more than a temporary
inconvenience. An occasional Indian village was looted or burned,
and there were occasional Indian raids; for the most part, the
Spaniards wandered.

There is enough convincing evidence, however, in the chron-

McMINN 7

icles of the journey to consider it a fact that DeSotos men came
into McMinn County. Sometime in 1540, the legend has it, the
Spaniards camped on high ground overlooking Eastanallee Creek
a short distance south of Athens. An old paper mill stood there
in later years, and the site — its historical value well-established
in the early settlers' minds — was considered a possible location
for the first county seat. DeSoto died in 1541, and only about 300
of his men survived to float down the Mississippi River and find
their way safely to Mexico.

Another early Spanish explorer, Juan de Pardo, came close
to the area in 1566, building a small fort near present-day Chat-
tanooga. By 1700 French traders regularly used the Tennessee
and Hiwassee to move into the Carolinas.

Early Settlers

Significant European settlement did not occur until after the
French and Indian War in the early 1760s when the territory west
of the Appalachians to the Mississippi came under English con-
trol, and more particularly, as regards McMinn County, not until
after the Revolutionary War and the Cherokee treaties of the
early 1800s. The closest English outpost before this period was
built in 1757 at Fort Loudon in present-day Monroe County, about
30 miles northeast of Athens, to protect Cherokee families from
attacks by the French and their Indian allies. The primary link
between people in this region and the outside world was through
traders.

Historical records for the entire region from around the
Revolutionary War until 1819, when the Cherokees ceded the
Hiwassee District to the United States, are vague and incom-
plete. Between the Revolution and 1819 there was an influx of
settlers. By the time the county seat was transferred from Cal-
houn to Athens in 1823 excellent court records and genealogical
data began to be kept.

Perhaps a few representative examples of settlement, sketchy
as they may be, can help to capture the spirit of this period. In
this regard the Walker family history is of greatest significance,

8 Tennessee County History Series

not only for McMinn County specifically, but because of its link
to some of the most important personalities in the entire region.

With the exception of Sequoyah himself, Nancy Ward is per-
haps the most famous Cherokee. She rivals Pocahontas and Sac-
kajawea in importance. Her own tribe bestowed upon her the
title u Beloved,"the highest title that a woman could ever be given,
which implied status equal to that of the chiefs themselves. The
title conveyed almost mystical, divine powers — something equiv-
alent to sainthood in modern vocabularies.

Nancy Ward first married an important chief named King-
fisher, and then an English trader named Bryan Ward. By King-
fisher she had a daughter, Catherine, who later married a white
trader named John Walker. The free use of Christian names and
the marriages that occurred with increased frequency demon-
strates vividly the close relationship between English and Cher-
okee which was taking place in the mid- 1700s.

John and Catherine Walker established a residence some-
where along the Hiwassee in the southwestern area of the county.
They had a son who was also named John, and it is he who be-
comes the key figure. This John Walker captured the attention
of Governor William Blount at the Battle of Buchanan Station
in 1792. Blount wrote about Walker: "He has been raised among
and by white people. Everyone who knows him has the utmost
confidence in him. He is quite a stripling and apparently the
most innocent, good-natured youth I ever saw."

The younger Walker, who had a strong enough Cherokee
ancestry to be considered "Indian," married Elizabeth Sevier, the
widow of Joseph Sevier, who was the son of John Sevier, gov-
ernor of the shortlived state of Franklin and the first governor
of Tennessee. Elizabeth herself was a member of an important
Cherokee family. Walker helped organize the Cherokee Turn-
pike Company in 1806 that contracted to maintain the "Georgia
Road" which ran through the area. He also operated a ferry near
present-day Calhoun. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 he was
commissioned a major and received numerous commendations
for bravery in battle.

Following the war, Walker returned to Calhoun and was in-

McMINN 9

strumental in all of the treaty negotiations which led to the sur-
render of Cherokee lands in Tennessee. These negotiations often
took Walker and other major "chiefs" to Washington, or "Wash-
ington City"as it was called, where he met with luminaries of the
federal government of that time, especially Secretary of War John
C. Calhoun.

Several prominent Indians, who were deemed "capable" of
managing their own affairs, and perhaps to reward their co-
operation in the Hiwassee Purchase of 1819, were given choices
of 640-acre plots which would be "reserved" for them in the newly
acquired territory. Walker took his "reservation" at Walkers Ferry
and this immediately was established as the town of Calhoun.
Elizabeth Lowery Sevier Walker, after an unsuccessful attempt
at acquiring land in present-day Monroe County, took land north
of Calhoun at Pumpkintown.

In spite of a somewhat questionable reputation at the time,
Pumpkintown was designated the county seat in December of
1823 and named Athens. The first organizational meetings of
the county were held in Walkers home in Calhoun, and he served
as one of the county's firstjustices of the peace. The Walker name
has remained intact across the years in the county.

An example of the European settlers in the county is the story
of another Calhoun area family, the Sheltons, who trace their
American lineage to a Ralph Shelton who was born in 1665 in
Middlesex County, Virginia. Four generations later, Roderick
Shelton served as a private in the Continental Army under Ceorge
Washington. His son, James, moved to North Carolina in 1791;
his son, James, at age 18 came to Greene County in Tennessee
and married a Betsy Lawson. Around 1810 they loaded .all of
their belongings on a flatboat and floated down the Tennessee
to the Hiwassee, and then traveled up the Hiwassee to a place
on the McMinn side of the river across from the large Cherokee
Village at present-day Charleston. Why they decided to stop at
this particular point, or if they planned originally where their
journey would take them, is not clear.

The Sheltons erected a log cabin, had a child, and soon there-
after Betsy died. James enlisted in the army, fought beside Sam

10 Tennessee County History Series

Houston at Horseshoe Bend, and was back in the area by 1816
when he married Sarah Hooper. They built a two-story frame
house near the old log structure which became a well-known his-
torical site until the TVA cleared the area in the late 1930s.

It should be repeated that the Walker and Shelton stories are
not unique. They are representative of precisely the kinds of
people, particularly of Cherokee and English, and later of Scotch-
Irish descent, that would come to live together and populate
McMinn County. The events that punctuate these family histo-
ries were undoubtedly repeated time and again among the first
families that settled the county.

The United States has always been characterized by the great
mobility of its people. The mass migration to the "Southwest Ter-
ritory" in the early nineteenth century populated McMinn County
and all of the lands to the Mississippi in this first stage of "Man-
ifest Destiny." A traveling missionary, David McClure, described
a typical family group as it moved into the new lands:

The man carried an ax and gun, the wife the rim of a spinning
wheel and a loaf of bread. Several little boys and girls, each with
a bundle according to their size. Two poor horses, each heavily
loaded. On the top of the baggage of one was an infant, rocked to
sleep in a kind of wicker cage. A cow was one of the company, a
bed-cord wound around her horns, and a bag of meal on her back.

During this same period families arrived whose descendants
are still important in the county. Many came because they had
either purchased land grants or secured them through military
service. Many of these people were farmers; others followed as
traders, merchants, or mill operators. It is impossible to do
justice to this group here. Those mentioned are merely
representative.

Asbury M. Coffey was the son of Eli Coffey who went into
Kentucky with Daniel Boone. He lived in Athens until 1842 and
was instrumental in some of the first railroading ventures in the
county. He married Mary Bradford, the daughter of Colonel
Henry Bradford who was a large landowner at the now-little-
known settlement of Columbus which once existed in the south-

McMINN 11

ern part of the county and now is in Polk County. Coffey left
Athens when President Millard Filmore appointed him to over-
see Indian affairs in Kansas; later, one of his children migrated
to Oregon.

Jesse Mayfield, whose family name is now carried forward
by the Mayfield Dairy Farms, was born in New York in 1770. He
secured several tracts of land that became available after the Hi-
wassee Purchase. One of the purchases, northeast of Athens, has
never left the family. In fact, the original log home which Jesse
Mayfield built was restored and stood as a county landmark on
the property of his descendant Scott Mayfield until it was lost in
a fire early in 1983.

One of the most significant contracting and building firms
of the Tennessee frontier has close ties with McMinn County. In
1825 Samuel Clegg (after the Civil War the name was spelled
"Cleage") settled in the Mouse Creek community. Clegg's father
was from Pennsylvania, and had become very wealthy building
mansions throughout that region in the late 1700s. The family
can trace its lineage back to Belfast, Ireland.

With his son-in-law, Thomas Crutchfield, Clegg established
the firm that came to be known as "Cleage and Crutchfield." With
extensive help from slaves and using methods of brick laying
that he had developed, Clegg contributed substantially to the
architecture of East Tennessee. Several buildings in Athens were
constructed by the firm, including the Mars Hill Presbyterian
Church and the old Hiwassee Rail Road headquarters building
which still stands on North Jackson Street. The grand court-
house which dominated the town square for the better part of
the last century was built by Thomas and William Cleage in 1874.
At one time the firm held contracts for nine courthouses in East
Tennessee.

The Cantrell family has long been important in the eastern
part of the county. John Cantrell, the first member of the Can-
trell family in America, was from Pennsylvania and had both
Huguenot and Quaker antecedents. Like many frontier fami-
lies, the Cantrells had a large number of children: 21 sons and

•

&

#•"

9m

Original architects sketch for the county's first courthouse.

McMINN 13

2 daughters, who contributed to proliferation of the clan from
Pennsylvania to Georgia.

One family legend describes a time when John Cantrell went
into a mercantile shop and asked.to see hats for boys. The mer-
chant displayed his selection of about a dozen hats, whereupon
Cantrell stepped to the door and called his boys into the store.
Twenty-one young men lined up at the counter, and the store-
keeper was so flabbergasted that he gave each boy a new hat.

One old record asserted that "the common wealth of Mc-
Minn County has from pioneer days down revered the name of
Cooke." In fact, the Cooke ancestry has crossed bloodlines with
families as well-known as that of the English novelist Henry
Fielding and the Tennessee senator Estes Kefauver. William Henry
Cooke moved his family from South Carolina to McMinn County
in 1820. He made large land purchases in the present Etowah
area, operated an iron forge, and was a surveyor. He was active
in laying out the town of Athens, was a state legislator, and helped
start the State Bank of Athens. While serving as the institutions
first president, he rode horseback every morning 13 miles to town
and was always on the job by eight in the morning. Cooke was
also active in the Meridian Sun Lodge No. 50, F&AM, which was
always an important institution in the county. Cooke and his wife
Mary had 12 children.

The court records of the first quarter century of the county's
existence reveal a high reliance on the counsel and judgement
of Charles Fleming Keith. In many respects he charted the course
and established the strong foundation upon which the county
rested for its first century. Keith had been born in Virginia in
1781 and by age eighteen was a law student with a close relative,
Charles Marshall, who was a brother of the famous chief justice
of the United States Supreme Court, John Marshall. By 1819 Keith
was a practicing attorney in Jefferson County and actively in-
volved in the early sessions of the Tennessee Legislature.

Following the Indian treaties of this period in which he took
a large part, Keith came to McMinn County where he was a leader
in every respect — political, civic, religious, and social. By 1850
he owned 15,000 acres of land, 44 slaves, and was the main tax-

14 Tennessee County History Series

payer in the entire county. By the time of his death in 1857, Keith
had performed the duties of a federal judge longer than any
other American with the exception of Chief Justice Marshall
himself. A large local Methodist church still carries the Keith name,
and Mrs. Marshall Keith resides today in the stately Keith man-
sion which is the best-known residence in the county.

Other families, of no less significance than the representative
examples noted here, have roots sunk deeply into the early his-
tory of America and eventually came to McMinn before or near
the time of its inception. The sequicentennial edition of The Daily
Post-Athenian detailed several, including the history of the Lane
family, whose forebears, Isaac and Tidence Lane, came to the
county in the early immigrations, constructed a mill from Ten-
nessee-made brick, owned a large number of slaves, and finally
left the area for lands in Mississippi that could produce more
cotton. The Kimbrough and Carlock families gave substance to
the religious growth of the region. Clement Vann Rogers, born
ten miles south of Athens on the old W. C. Townsend place, was
the father of American humorist Will Rogers. Other names are
prominent in the Post- Athenian chronicle: Ballew, Barb, Boone,
Burn, Cass, Cooper, Dorsey, Fisher, Fore, Gettys, Gilbreath,
Guthrie, Hart, Hill, Hoyal, Lowry, Love, Matlock, Parkinson,
Shipley, Smith, Snider, Sullins, and Wilkins.

Joseph McMinn, for whom the county was named, is an ap-
propriate conclusion to this section. McMinn was born in Penn-
sylvania in 1758 and migrated into the area around 1775. He was
active in the first political movements of the state and involved
in the 1796 convention in Knoxville which drafted the proposed
first constitution for the state. McMinn insisted that a "Bill of
Rights" be included, and he personally carried the proposed
constitution to President George Washington.

After serving in eight general assemblies and being speaker
of the senate three times, McMinn was elected governor in 1815.
He was reelected in 1817 and 1819. Although plagued by fiscal
problems, McMinn's administrations dealt rather successfully with
Indian problems, advanced education, and actively supported

M cM INN

15

Joseph McMinn,
the three-time gov-
ernor of Tennes-
see, for whom the
county is named

improvement of river navigation. He is remembered as being
quite popular with the general population.

In 1821 McMinn returned to farming in Rogersville, but by
1823 had accepted a position as agent to the Cherokees at
Charleston's Fort Cass. He lived in Calhoun and served as agent
until his sudden death, which occurred while he was writing at
his desk on November 17, 1824. While in Calhoun, McMinn be-
came a member of the Presbyterian Church and it was his desire
to be buried in its graveyard.

In an interesting aside, the grave — like so many — went un-
marked, and just one person, a Mr. R. J. M. Only, knew its lo-

1 6 Tennessee County History Series

cation. When, in 1880, a plan was proposed to dig up the remains
and take them to Athens for reburial and the erection of a "proper"
monument, Mr. Only refused to show where the grave was. Only
was an eccentric lay preacher who had supposedly read the Bible
27 times, argued his interpretations in all kinds of public set-
tings, and was not beyond the convincing power of a good fist
fight. He won the day and the monument was erected in the old
Presbyterian cemetery at Calhoun where it stands in high visi-
bility today.

The Cherokee Removal

Given the close relationship which existed between the Eng-
lish pioneers and the Cherokees, the integration of the races
through intermarriage which by 1800 constituted a racial syn-
thesis (the famous chief, John Ross, was only one-eighth Cher-
okee) in many areas like McMinn County, and the sophistication
of the Cherokee people, the forced removal in the late 1830s of
the majority of the tribe — which came to be known as the "Trail
of Tears — is one of the darkest spots in the history of American
expansion. McMinn County was in the center of the conflict, and
the best evidence suggests that the citizenry of that time was
strongly opposed to such inhumane and immoral activities. In
fact, something of the "states' rights" sentiment that became of
crucial importance in this area within a generation may have been
born at this moment.

Stereotypes about primitive Indians wandering around half-
naked must be set aside when considering the early nineteenth
century Cherokees. These were people who were living a settled,
civilized existence that paralleled in every way that of their white
counterparts. By 1805 Return J. Meigs, for whom Meigs County
was named and whose granddaughter married John Walker, Jr.,
was taking care of Indian matters in the area. First he operated
from "Old Agency" in present-day Meigs County, and finally at
the agency established across the Hiwassee from Calhoun at
Charleston. Meigs attained a wide reputation for helping the
Cherokees with farming, diversification of crops, raising of live-
stock, and trade.

McMINN 17

Although large numbers of Cherokees had voluntarily left
for new lands in the West, by 1828 the equally large number re-
maining continued to advance their own culture and strengthen
their relationships with the white culture. In fact, one of the first
successful American missionary activities was conducted in this
area with the establishment of several mission schools which pro-
vided education for the Cherokee children. Probably more
Cherokees were educated in the region at this time than whites.

But early in 1829 the entire picture changed. Gold was dis-
covered on Cherokee land in Georgia near Dahlonoga! Accord-
ing to Kenneth Valliere in an article on Jackson for the Tennessee
Historical Quarterly: "Between four and seven thousand gam-
blers, swindlers, debauchers, and profane blackguards, with
morals as bad as it is to conceive, overran the Cherokee country."

The Georgia legislature immediately claimed all Cherokee
land. With a singlemindedness that would have made the old
Spanish conquistadors proud, Governor George Gilmer even
decreed that the land would be given to whites by lottery if the
Cherokees could be removed. The tenor of the conflict soon as-
sumed national significance. Andrew Jackson, who had com-
manded the Cherokees at Horseshoe Bend, had become president
in 1829. The Cherokee chiefs, thinking they had a sure friend
in Jackson, appealed for consideration. Hard-nosed political
pragmatist to the end, Jackson supported the position of Georgia.

The Cherokees then went to Washington and appealed to the
Supreme Court and John Marshall — perhaps given quick en-
trance because of the chief justices relationship with the Keith
family. The strongest supporter of the Cherokee claim was the
Tennessee congressman, Davy Crockett. Crockett poked cutting
sarcasm at the whole idea of removal of the Cherokees by intro-
ducing a bill calling for the removal of the white residents of East
Tennessee to the West, "lest they impede the territorial designs
and sovereignty of the State of Georgia." In fact, in 1832, the
Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokees. Cartter Patten
recalls in A Tennessee Chronicle that the high court ruled: "The
Cherokee Nation is a distinct community, occupying its own ter-
ritory, in which the laws of Georgia can have no force." There

1 8 Tennessee County History Series

was great rejoicing in the Cherokee Nation, but the Cherokees
did not know of President Jackson's reputed remark: "John Mar-
shall has made his decision, now let him enforce it."

Even the Cherokees were set at odds with each other. This
internal division had a direct impact on McMinn County when
in 1834 John Walker, Jr., who was also known as "Chief Jack, "was
murdered by fellow-Cherokee James Foreman after Walker had
undertaken what Foreman considered unauthorized negotia-
tions in Washington involving treaties that would lead to removal.

Foreman, with an accomplice named Isaac Springston, came
to trial in Athens, but soon the question of murder became sec-
ondary to the question of jurisdiction. Being quite sensitive to
their environment, the McMinn jurors concluded that the mat-
ter was wholly Cherokee and that they had all rights to adjudi-
cate the case. However, as part of their desire to have higher
claim on the Indians, the United States government got the
McMinn decision reversed.

While the Cherokees met to raise money for yet another ap-
peal to the Supreme Court, Foreman and Springston, in some
manner not a matter of record, suddenly were no longer to be
found in the Athens jail. It seems that "frontier justice" prevailed,
and that McMinn Countians found a subtle way of overruling
the United States and affirming the stand that they took
throughout the controversy. Records indicate that Foreman went
West, was actively involved in seeking out and killing those who
had agreed with the removal among his own people, and was
eventually killed himself.

Jackson sent the Reverend J. F. Schermerhorn into the area;
he obtained highly questionable treaties from impressionable
splinter groups who were generally unauthorized by the tribe as
a whole and their central leader, Chief John Ross of Chatta-
nooga. Schermerhorn was not beyond using whiskey and indi-
vidual bribes to get the treaties that were ultimately accepted by
the federal government and enforced by General Winfield Scott
and 7000 troops beginning in May of 1838.

The Cherokees were corralled by the hundreds at Charles-
ton, Ross' Landing/Chattanooga, and Guntersville, Alabama.

McMINN 19

Citizens of McMinn petitioned for an end to the roundup, but
no relief was forthcoming. An unidentified local missionary re-
ported in his journal:

The Cherokees are nearly all prisoners. They are dragged from
their houses and encamped in military places all over the area..
They are allowed no time to take with them anything except the
clothes they have on. Well furnished houses are left prey to plun-
derers who, like hungry wolves, follow in the train of the captors.
These wretches rifle the houses, and strip the helpless, unoffend-
ing owners of all they have on earth.

The following advertisement was placed in regional news-
papers by Joseph Harris, disbursing agent for the Cherokee
Removal under the heading "Wagons Wanted":

Sixteen first rate road wagons with bodies of the largest kinds,
each to be drawn by first rate six horse teams complete in gear and
harness, will find employment during the removal of the present
Emigration of Cherokees from their homes to their respective
points; by their owners of such enrolling their names immediately
at the agency.

Three dollars and fifty cents per day will be allowed as a full
compensation for the services of each team and its appertenances
so employed — a loaded team to travel fifteen miles per day, with-
out a load twenty miles. All ferriages excepting over the Hiwassee
to be government charges.

Before the deportation was complete, nearly 5000 Chero-
kees had died, many from cold and hunger. Perhaps a thousand
escaped to find refuge in the Tennessee and western North Car-
olina mountains. The will of the federal government ultimately
triumphed, and a major segment of McMinn County's unique
culture was destroyed.

From the Cherokee Removal to the Civil War

The period from the Cherokee Removal to the Civil War was
a time of great growth in the county. Individuals emerged who
would make lasting contributions. Finally, people began to stay

20 Tennessee County History Series

rather than move on to the new frontiers. The fixtures of civil-
ization — schools, churches, and political systems — could now be
given lasting foundations.

Those present at the organizational meeting of the county
on November 13, 1819, at the home of John Walker in Calhoun
were Archibald Black, Hambright Black, George Colville, Sam-
uel Dickey, Benjamin Griffith, Jacob Sharp, and Walker. The first
elected officials were Young Colville, clerk; Spencer Beavers,
sheriff; A. R. Turk, trustee; Benjamin Hambright, registrar;
Griffith Dickeson, ranger; and Jacob Work, coroner. Charles
Fleming Keith organized the first court in 1820. Goodspeed's//£story
of East Tennessee (1887) says of Keith that "He was a quiet, unas-
suming man, of sound judgement, and had a good knowledge
of the law; his decisions were rarely reversed by the supreme
court."

The first settlers of the county's first town, Calhoun, were the
Colvilles, John Cowan, Benjamin Hambright, E. P. Owen, Eli
Sharp, and A. R. Turk. A Presbyterian church was erected in
1823. In this same year Martin Cassidy at Cedar Springs was asked
to donate land for a new county seat that would be centrally lo-
cated — he refused. Land was donated at Athens for this purpose
by William Lowry.

Specific reports about life in the county between 1834 and
1852 are difficult to find. The 1834 edition of the Tennessee Gaz-
etteer claimed a total population of 14,497: 6732 "free white males,"
6487 "free white females," 21 "free colors," and 1257 slaves. Ath-
ens, always the most populous community, had a population of
about 500 at that time. Most professions, businesses, and edu-
cational institutions of that time are represented in the Gazetteer's
description of the city.

New settlers named Fyffe and Smith operated the first stores
in Athens. Other early merchants were Solomon Bogart, Francis
Boyd, John Crawford, Alexander and David Cleage, George
Morgan, and O. G. Murrell. Joel Brown owned a tailor shop,
and Peter Kinder, a hattery. There were a silversmith, George
Sehorn, and a coppersmith, Julius Blackwell. Demsey Casey

McMINN 21

owned a saddlery, while James Gettys and Squire Johnson op-
erated a tannery.

The first doctors were John Farmer, Horace Hickox, Samuel
Jordan, and Benjamin Stout. The first attorneys were Thomas
Campbell, Spencer Jarnagin (who served in Congress under James
K. Polk), and Return J. Meigs. Campbell achieved statewide ac-
claim, as did T. Nixon Van Dyke, who located in Athens in 1829.
In 1835 a branch of the Planters Bank was opened, and in 1838
a branch of the State Bank. The first church, Zion Hill, was built
by the Baptists.

By 1850, Goodspeed reported, "Athens was at the height of
its prosperity." Important businesses included: William Ballew;
William Burns; A. Cleage and Company; Grubb and Engledow;
J. M. Henderson; George Home; King and Crutchfield; Mc-
Ewin and Gillespie; John McGaughey; A. McKeldin; Moss and
Jackson; J. K. Reeder; Robeson, Sartain and Company; George
Ross; Sehorn and Hornsby; and W C. Witt and Company. C.
Zimmerman established a foundry about 1852, and the Meth-
odist Episcopal female college was enjoying a growing reputation.

Smaller communities developed as railroads came into the
county. Riceville (on land donated by Charles W Rice), Sanford,
and Mouse Creek (Niota) all started as sites of railroad stations
and soon attracted small businesses and homes. Mouse Creek
was particularly prosperous. J. H. Magill opened the first store
there in 1855. Other merchants in the area, according to Good-
speed, were E. Gate, J. N. Dalzell, A. Forrest, and Stephens 8c
Browder. Early settlers at Mouse Creek included Greenbury Cate,
L. R. Hurst, J. L. Hurst, John F. Sherman, H. L. Shultz, and
James Willson. Many of the descendants of these people remain
important in the northern part of the county.

The Coming of War

The years immediately preceeding the Civil War were a time
of great drama for the nation. However, the war was uniquely
accentuated in East Tennessee and in counties like McMinn. It
is, of course, common knowledge that the proverbial "brother

22

Tennessee County History Series

The remains of the Gettys Mill on the Eastanallee near Sanford

against brother" division of loyalties between North and South
occurred throughout this area more often than perhaps any place
in the entire nation. It took years to relax hard and fast political
lines that had been drawn between "secessionists"and "Unionists"
in early 1860. McMinn County played a unique role in these
activities.

Before that uniqueness is explored, one common miscon-
ception must be cleared up. It is often thought that the major
issue dividing Tennessee was slavery, and that East Tennessee
had fewer large farms and therefore less need for slaves than
Middle and West Tennessee. There is information to undergird
this view, and undoubtedly it did play at least some role. In 1840
there were only 19,915 slaves in East Tennessee; this number in-
creased to only 27,500 by 1860. Comparable figures in Middle
Tennessee show an increase from 106,640 to 148,000, and in West
Tennessee an increase from 56,600 to 100,200.

McMINN 23

By 1860 East Tennessee had only 10 percent of the states slave
population and only 9 percent of the population of the region
was slave. These numbers are quite small compared to the other
major divisions of the state. McMinn County in 1860 had 124
slaveholders who owned 678 slaves. As early statistics indicate,
this number had decreased by almost 50 percent since 1834.

However, East Tennessee can in no way be construed as a
hotbed of abolitionist sentiment. Most of the strong Unionists
were slaveholders. Abolitionist movements like the one at Mary-
ville College in nearby Blount County were not well received.
There is at least one account of abolitionist tracts coming to the
Athens post office and being turned over by the postmaster to
people in the streets who burned them.

The dominant idea seemed to be that slavery could continue,
and that the lot of the slave could be improved and protected by
law. Paul Bergeron reports on two interesting cases in this re-
gard. In one, a slave convicted of rape by a lower court was ac-
quitted by the state supreme court, and the lower court was
severely criticized for misconduct. In the second, a Washington
County man willed his 112 acre farm to slaves, rather than his
seven sons, and gave the slaves their freedom. When the sons
sued, the courts upheld the claim of the slaves. One state su-
preme court decision, quoted by Bergeron, read:

The law takes the slave out of the hands of the master and treats
the slave as a rational and intelligenthuman being, responsible to
moral, social, and municipal duties and obligations, and gives him
the benefit of all the forms of trial which jealousy of power and
love of liberty have induced the free man to throw around himself
for his own protection.

This middle-of-the-road policy was probably more appeal-
ing to McMinn Countians. In fact, they may originally have had
a perspective on this issue that was even more liberal. In 1834 a
new state constitution was drafted. A gradual emancipation pro-
vision was introduced and supported by the signatures of 1800
leading citizens from 16 counties — McMinn was one of them.
Eventually the constitutional convention, by a vote of 44 to 10,

24 Tennessee County History Series

disallowed the provision. The McMinn delegation cast one of the
10 supporting votes.

Bv the 1850s the emancipation position was essentially over.
Secessionists painted the northern abolitionists as meddlers and
demagogues who would like nothing better than to start infring-
ing upon the privacy of internal state matters. The challenging
issue had become states rights. Abraham Lincoln was seen
as a frighteningly malicious usurper of independence. Seces-
sionists created an exaggerated image of abolitionists much like
Joseph McCarthy created of communists a hundred years later.

Strict Unionists held doggedly to their positions out of a deep-
seated sense of loyalty. Their ancestors had fought and died for
this Union at Kings Mountain and Horsehoe Bend. They were
convinced that without strong centralization no government could
endure, and they understood the consequences of a civil war.
They were disciples of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, and largely
disdained John Calhoun's states rights views — Calhoun had been
too dictatorial for many, especially in McMinn County, in some
of his dealings with the Indians.

Unfortunately, the march of events quickened. On Decem-
ber 20, 1860, the "Convention of South Carolina" passed what
was termed with great fanfare an "Ordinance of Secession. "Has-
tily, to preserve some presence in the area, the United States Army
took control of an antiquated harbor garrison, Fort Sumter —
the lines of inevitable conflict were drawn.

Other southern leaders called for similar conventions, and
none was louder than Governor Isham G. Harris of Tennessee.
Harris had been actively involved in the 1860 presidential cam-
paign of John C. Breckenridge, who held the most extreme
southern views. Early in January of 1861 Harris convened the
Tennessee General Assembly and with a fusillade of disdain pro-
claimed vengeance against the Unionist position. He called for
a vote on February 9 to determine whether Tennessee would
have its own convention to discuss secession.

One could have easily predicted, by looking at the election
returns in 1860, the quandary in which McMinn Countians would
find themselves. Breckenridge had failed to carry Tennessee, being

McMINN 25

defeated by the Whig/Consitutional Union candidate John Bell
in a vote of 69,176 to 64,809. In East Tennessee, that vote had
been 22,043 to 18,800, and in McMinn County 986 to 978— the
closest race in the entire state. Bell had strong Union loyalty at
the time of the election, but it must also be recalled that he was
a native Tennessean in the race.

There commenced one of the most memorable times in the
states history, and especially in the swing area of East Tennessee.
The East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad cut across the western
section of the county, and had major stations at Niota, Athens,
and Riceville. Some of the most powerful political voices in the
nation came to East Tennessee on the railroad. Speeches that
went on for hours were typical. The Unionist leaders were men
of such high status as Andrew Johnson (then a senator, but vice-
president four years later), Horace Maynard, T A. R. Nelson,
O. P. Temple, and C. F. Trigg.

The secessionist leaders, in addition to Governor Harris, were
equally commanding in their presence: John Crozier, Thomas
Lyon, William Sneed, William Swan, Campbell Wallace, and
William Yancy. Wallace was the president of the railroad which
until 1855 had been headquartered in Athens — his was a familiar
face throughout the county. The train depots and the court-
house square were scenes of continual rhetoric and debate. Oc-
casionally there were threats, fist fights, and even gunfire as the
voting day came closer.

The total vote in the referendum of February 9 was a mere
54.5 percent against the convention, but in East Tennessee it was
81 percent against. In McMinn County the vote was 439 for and
1457 against. Memphis and Nashville continued as centers of
Confederate support, Memphians at one time discussing their
own, private secession. Knoxville and Greeneville were centers
of Unionist sentiment. Governor Harris continued, undaunted,
in his desire to bring the state into the Confederacy.

Lincoln took office in March of 1861 and then ordered relief
for the beseiged Fort Sumter in early April. On April 12 the Con-
federate forces fired on Sumter, and Lincoln responded by call-
ing for 75,000 volunteers to rise to the defense of the Union. In

26 Tennessee County History Series

less than two weeks, Harris reconvened the General Assembly
and a second vote on separation was planned for June 8.

The speech-making began again with a greater intensity. Now
Confederate soldiers in uniform were gallantly paraded before
impassioned youth, and the specter of 75,000 northern soldiers
pouring through Cumberland Gap was raised again and again.

Even John Bell, the stalwart Whig, finally succumbed to
secessionist pressure to take up its cause. In a speech at Athens
in early June he spoke half-heartedly about secession and then
turned apologetically to his Unionist friend from McMinn County,
John McGaughey, and said: "There is my friend, Mr. Mc-
Gaughey, between whom and myself there used to be no differ-
ence in our view. I know not how he stands in reference to these
new questions." McGaughey replied in his gentle, earnest voice:
"I am still for the Union, the Constitution, and the enforcement
of the laws." Many shared McGaugheys sentiments, in spite of
the escalation of events. On May 30 the "East Tennessee Con-
vention" was held in Knoxville to support the Union cause.
McMinn County had 24 delegates; one of them, Dr. M. R. May,
was chosen one of the vice-presidents. George Bridges was
appointed to a reporting committee which produced a scalding
indictment of the state legislature for its drift toward the
Confederate cause.

In the referendum of June 8, Middle and West Tennessee
voted overwhelmingly for seccession, while East Tennessee voted
more than two to one to remain in the Union. In McMinn County
the vote was 904 for seccession and 1,144 against. With the ma-
jority of McMinn County and East Tennessee remaining loyal,
there was a final effort; a Unionist convention was held at
Greeneville on June 17 to protest severe voting irregularities.
The document prepared by this convention was dramatic, a pro-
found political treatise in the finest of the American tradition.
Unfortunately, the Greenveville convention was ineffectual — the
die was cast. The McMinn delegates to this convention were M.
D. Anderson, G. W Bridges, A. C. Derrick, and John McGaughey.

The most striking Unionist spokesman, however, has not been
discussed and it is this personality that provides the focal point

McMINN 27

of McMinn County's unique contribution to this period. The set-
ting for the appearance of the spokesman was the old Methodist
Episcopal campground two miles south of Athens at Cedar
Springs. In his memoirs Dr. David Sullins, who was born in
Athens in 1827, described the campground and the events that
transpired there:

There was a small log church, and a shed one hundred feet long
and twenty-five feet wide, with wings on hinges. When these wings
were down, it was a great tent, and when they were up, it would
seat two thousand. The tents were rude shacks made of logs, some
still with the bark on. There were no fireplaces. Beds were scaf-
folds along the sides of the tents. All floors were dirt, covered with
straw. At daybreak each morning, a loud horn sounded, at which
time all arose and prepared for the day. Service hours were at 9:30
a.m., 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., and "candle-lighting."

Into this scene stepped William G. "Parson" Brownlow, who was
the minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in
Athens, the forerunner of the present Keith Memorial United
Methodist Church.

Brownlow was described as stepping into the pulpit, remov-
ing his gunbelt and pistol, and preaching "hell-fire and brim-
stone." The parson eventually led the Unionist movement in East
Tennessee as editor of The Knoxville Whig. He spent most of the
war years speaking in the North, hiding in Knoxville, and a short
time in a Confederate prison. His wife was forced to move North,
and his son was arrested for possessing and circulating an out-
lawed book, Impending Crisis in the South. Typical of the division
that was occurring, the charges against the younger Brownlow
were brought by Gen. James T Lane of McMinn County.

Following one imprisonment and an eventual escape to safety
behind Union lines in March of 1862 Brownlow proclaimed: "Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards
men, except for a few hell-bent and hell-bound rebels in Knox-
ville." This was indicative of Brownlow's style. He was always on
the attack. He had once written defiantly in The Whig:

I have been expected to state in every issue of my paper, that the

28 Tennessee County History Series

mantle of Washington sits well on Jeff Davis! This would be a funny
publication. The bow of Ulysses in the hands of a pygmy! The
robes of a giant adorning Tom Thumb! The curls of Hyperion on
the brow of a Satyr! The Aurora Borealis on a cotton farm melting
down the icv North! This would be to metamorphose a minnow
into a WHALE!

"Parson" Brownlow served as the first postwar governor of
Tennessee. He was successful in introducing black suffrage in
the state, and moved with deliberation to get Tennessee back into
the Union — it was the first state to be readmitted. In 1869, after
reelection and the strong opposition of Nathan Bedford For-
rest's Ku Klux Klan with its desire to enfranchise ex-Confeder-
ates, Brownlow resigned to become a United States senator.

Brownlow was succeeded by De Witt C. Senter from McMinn
County. Senter alleviated tensions by reestablishing civil rather
than military courts and by advancing the cause of Confederate
suffrage. Senter was successful enough that the Ku Klux Klan
w r as ordered by its Grand Wizard to destroy its robes and dis-
band. Because of his quick conciliatory actions, reconstruction
in Tennessee did not go through the same kind of painful ex-
periences common in most of the south.

The Civil War

Immediately following the events at Fort Sumter, frenzied
activity began. In fact, Governor Harris probably had already
executed a series of pacts with the Confederate leaders and had
been actively recruiting soldiers in Middle and West Tennessee.
Although most Tennesseans wore the Confederate gray, at least
35,000 East Tennesseans joined the Union forces.

The Confederacy would have profited greatly if the people
of East Tennessee had come solidly into line. Because they did
not, the South lost a large number of dedicated fighting men. It
also had to contend with the continual victimization of a major
north-south thoroughfare by secret agents, guerrillas, and — at
the very minimum — many unfriendly farmers and merchants,
whose daily harassment and inconvenience impeded the prac-

McMINN 29

tical movements of large masses of men. Some estimates have
been made that, at any one time, between eight and ten thousand
Confederate troops had to be kept in East Tennessee to manage
public dissent. McMinn County, with perhaps a small majority
of its own citizens in gray, was typical of the prevailing Union
sentiment of East Tennessee.

Fighting forces began to organize into infantry, cavalry, and
artillery units. Sometimes units were organized over wide geo-
graphical areas, but most fighting units were organized by local
men who appealed to their friends and neighbors. In this way,
it was not unusual for lifelong friends and relatives to fight to-
gether throughout the war. Union companies, however, were not
actually formed in the county until late in the war when its out-
come was fairly well assured.

Eight important Confederate units were specifically formed
from within the county. Company A of the 3rd (Brazeltons) Ten-
nessee Cavalry Battalion was organized on August 3, 1861, with
James C. Bradford as major and J. A. Gouldy as captain. One of
their first assignments was to go into Clay County, Kentucky, to
a salt mine and get two hundred barrels of salt. In some respects,
salt was as important to an army as bullets. This unit fought at
the Battle of Fishing Creek, and was active later in the war
throughout the Cumberland Gap area. Company B of the 16th
Tennessee Cavalry Battalion was organized at Athens on May 31,
1862, under the leadership of John R. Neal and E. W. Rucker,
but little is known about this units activities.

Company I of the 1st (Rogers) East Tennessee Cavalry Reg-
iment was also organized within the county. The unit had a be-
leaguered and lackluster war record which prompted Gen. Kirby
Smith officially to record his belief that the large number of Union
friends and relatives which members of this unit had rendered
them ineffective in carrying out the demands of combat. One
wonders if such a feeling might not have prevailed among many
of the soldiers from the county.

Willie Lowry and W. P. H. McDermott organized Company
H of the 19th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. First fighting at
Fishing Creek, the unit then faced major action at Vicksburg.

30 Tennessee County History Series

There they attempted a surprise attack through almost impen-
etrable swamps. The suspected Union force turned out to be a
hoax, but a major part of the regiment was lost or rendered in-
effective by the terrible conditions. The unit suffered 94 cas-
ualities out of a little over two hundred men at Chickamauga,
but was still able to have said about it at Missionary Ridge and
the retreat toward Atlanta: "The 19th was never once driven from
any position to which it was assigned." After fighting in almost
every major battle of the Army of Tennessee, only 64 men were
left at the time of the surrender at Appomatox.

Three other units also saw major action at Vicksburg. Com-
pany F of the 39th (W. M. Bradford's) Tennessee Infantry Reg-
iment, which was mustered at Mouse Creek on March 17, 1862,
under Albartus Forrest and John C. Neil, twice took pleasure
boats fitted with cannon and captured Union gunboats. At the
end of the war, this unit was acting as a protective escort for Jef-
ferson Davis. Company H of the 43rd Tennessee Infantry Reg-
iment, which was organized at Riceville on November 16, 1861,
fought with Jubal Early, participated in his raid on Washington
in 1864, and counted 972 holes in its unit flag at Vicksburg. Fi-
nally, three local companies, A, H, and K, of the 59th Tennessee
Infantry Regiment, under James B. Cooke and John M. Van Dyke
were described in official communications following Vicksburg:
"During these 47 days, under the terrific fire of the enemy's ar-
tillery and infantry, the officers and men bore themselves with
constancy and courage. Often half-fed, and ill-clothed, exposed
to the burning sun and soaking rain, they performed their duty
cheerfully and without murmur."

Twelve Union companies were formed in the county and as-
signed to four different regiments. It should also be remem-
bered that many from the county who fought for the Union did
so by going North and joining forces from other areas. While
the activities of the six companies of the 7th Tennessee Mounted
Infantry Regiment will be detailed later, some mention of the
activities of the other units has found its way into official war
records.

Company M of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment was

McMINN 31

mustered in Nashville on June 28, 1864. At one time in 1865 the
unit was ordered to take and execute prisoners, especially if it
was determined that they were guerrillas and bushwackers. Evi-
dence suggests that, since they were operating in their own ter-
ritory, they refused to carry out the orders with the severity
commanded.

Companies C, D, and I of the 10th Tennessee Cavalry Reg-
iment saw extensive action in Middle Tennessee, especially against
Generals "Fighting Joe" Wheeler and Nathan Bedford Forrest.
At one time they were in the saddle for eight days and nights
against Forrest and traveled over two hundred miles fighting
one skirmish after another. Finally, Companies A and D of the
5th Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment, which was mus-
tered at Riceville, Calhoun, Cleveland, and Athens in October
and November of 1864 under Spencer Boyd and James S. Brad-
ford, saw limited action during the latter part of the war in
northern Georgia.

These units were engaged in a multitude of major conflicts
and a continual series of smaller skirmishes. McMinn Countians
were present at Shiloh, Manassas, Vicksburg, Chickamauga,
Missionary Ridge, and Knoxville. They faced the finest generals
and bravest troops on both sides of the conflict. The records speak
of deaths, wounds, imprisonments, exchanges, and returns home.

No major battles occurred in the county itself. At most there
were small skirmishes that received little notice in the official
reports. There were gun emplacements and bunkers on Depot
Hill in Athens to protect the railroad station, and there is some
indication that fights occurred at this spot from time to time as
the town changed hands many times during the war.

To assume from the absence of major battles that the county
was relatively untouched by the war would be misleading. The
cataclysmic impact that a movement of ten to twenty thousand
troops through an area would have is hard to imagine. In ad-
dition, fighting did not generally take place during the winter
months and an entire region could become responsible for "win-
tering" troops. The strain on the already meager food supplies
and shelter was phenomenal. McMinn County was at the heart

32 Tennessee County History Series

of these kinds of activities, involving both Northern and South-
ern armies, throughout the course of the war.

Farmlands were ravaged, fences destroyed, spoils were taken
on both sides, and individual fortunes that had been established
since the first settlement were steadily depleted. The presence
of the railroad line insured this, and concerns about protection
or disruption of vital rail services kept troops in the area. In ad-
dition, lawless hoodlums, termed "bushwackers," used the dis-
organization of the war to carry out personal vendettas,
plundering Unionist and Confederate alike. One of the worst of
this type, a man named John P. Gatewood, was christened in
legend "The Red-headed Beast from Georgia," and operated with
a band of fifty Confederate deserters in this immediate area.

The region was not burned over like Atlanta and southeast-
ern Georgia. In fact, Gen. William T Sherman himself operated
from the county for a period after the battles at Chattanooga
and Knoxville and before his march to the sea. He used the Bridges
Hotel in Athens as his headquarters and seemed to develop some
real affection for the town. After the war the area was left drained
and poor, and "reconstruction" would have to mean much more
than political reorganization.

The Van Dyke mansion, which still stands on the Maxwell
White property overlooking Cedar Grove Cemetery, was also used
by Sherman. This would have been the highest insult for the
property's owner, T Nixon Van Dyke, who was the staunchest of
Southerners. Van Dyke was an important judge, a central figure
in the government of the Confederacy, and was imprisoned along
with his wife for several years following the war. He refused to
ask for a pardon and was freed only after other members of his
family sought the intervention of President Andrew Johnson.
Van Dyke, who refused to shave until the full independence of
the Confederacy could be attained, is remembered as having a
beard that finally had to be hung back across his shoulders.

When Sherman arrived, he found the home occupied only
by a group of women, all their husbands being off fighting in
the Southern cause. He felt that Athens was no fit place for women

McMINN

33

The Van Dyke mansion, where Sherman stayed during the Civil War

who were alone under the present circumstances of war and
issued passes that allowed for passage through Northern lines
to the home of kinfolk in Quincy, Illinois.

Earlier in the war, a campfire had been spotted late one eve-
ning on the hill at the top of the cemetery. Mrs. William Dead-
erick Van Dyke climbed the hill to inquire about which army the
soldiers represented. The reply that came back through the dim
light: "Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest, ma'am, at your service."

Several examples can be given to help recall what daily chal-
lenges the citizenry faced during the war. Protecting belongings,
particularly horses and cattle, from the armies was a major prob-
lem. My grandfather recalled that every time an army came near,
he, a child of eight or nine years, was given the responsibility of
taking the family mule to a hiding place that had been cut out
in a nearby canebreak. This Moses-in-the-bullrushes tactic pre-

34 Tennessee County History Series

served something that may have been much more essential to
the lives of the general population than any ideological allegiances.

On a larger scale, the Wattenbargers who had a reputation as
fine merchants of North Athens in later years, were known for
their excellent stock breeding and trading during the war era. Leg-
end has it that the family hit upon the tactic of keeping the best
stock well-hidden and a blind mule and an old horse with a plaster
patch on its back on public display. Soldiers would be told that this
was all that was left of the stock, and that, in fact, the horse had a
"strange infection" that they were having to treat. Usually the sol-
diers did not stay around long to ask further questions.

Not everybody tried to keep their stock from the military.
Some of the finest cavalry horses used in the Civil War were foaled
on the farm of the James T. Lane family of McMinn County. One
particular unit, known as "Lane's Guards" and fighting as part of
the First Tennessee Cavalry, CSA, carried combat banners sewn
by Athens ladies.

There was also the problem of noncombatants being "drafted"
by armies as they moved through an area. Joe Hughes was a
Unionist living in the Clearwater area. He had avoided conscrip-
tion, like many in the area, to remain at home to care for crops
and to protect his family. A large Confederate force moved from
Kingston to Athens along the Old Kingston Road near his home
and came too close. Hughes and two friends named Culvahouse
and Woods decided that they could stay no longer. They walked
to the Tennessee River in Meigs County, swam the river, and en-
listed in the First Cavalry Company, USA, which was at the time
camping in the region.

The practice of "wintering" could bring large numbers of sol-
diers and commanders. For example, the Union army camped
at Athens in the winter of 1863, using the nearly-completed Keith
mansion as headquarters. The commander carefully gave the
influential Keiths receipts for any item his men used. Small log
huts housing eight men each called "tents"were built throughout
the present Epperson/Athens Community Hospital area. There
were hundreds of these small buildings.

The building called "Old College" in the heart of the present

McMINN

35

"Old College" on the Tennessee Wesleyan campus, which served as a
hospital during the Civil War and now houses the McMinn County His-
torical Museum

Tennessee Wesleyan College campus, which now houses the
McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, was used as a Con-
federate hospital at one time during the war. Churches, academy
buildings, and homes were regularly used to quarter troops; oc-
casionally one army would burn a building when it left so the
approaching army could not use it.

The most notable events of the war related to the Hiwassee
River Bridge at Calhoun. In fact, one of the first major events
of the entire war occurred here. Federal forces realized that the
river and rail systems in Tennessee were essential to any ad-
vances by either army, and that the destruction of this bridge
and several others like it — in much the way that Andrews' Raid-
ers would do in the "Great Locomotive Chase" in North Georgia
later in the war — should be given high priority in any war plans.

36 Tennessee County History Series

Lincoln himself was reported to have said that the destruc-
tion of the East Tennessee railroad system, particularly the bridge
over the Tennessee at Loudon and the bridge at Calhoun, was
as important as the capture of Richmond itself. By mid-fall 1861
he and Gen. George McClellan had approved the clandestine
plan of Presbyterian minister William Carter to burn nine bridges
in East Tennessee on the night of November 8, 1861. McClellan
planned a major thrust into East Tennessee immediately follow-
ing the completion of this mission to quickly control the area.

While the guerrillas hid in the mountains and completed their
plans, McClellan changed his mind at the insistence of Gen. Don
Carlos Buell, who wanted to attack Middle Tennessee. Unaware
of this, attempts at bridge destruction were carried out at several
locations including the Hiwassee bridge. This group was led by
A. M. Cate who lived in Bradley County, but had strong family
ties in McMinn. Accompanying Cate were Thomas Cate, Eli
Cleveland, Jesse F. Cleveland, and Adam Thomas. A. M. Cate
had to walk 300 miles through the Tennessee mountains to es-
cape into Kentucky and avoid the reign of terror which followed
the burnings.

Great fear spread throughout the state's population, martial
law was instituted, dozens of people were arrested daily for sev-
eral weeks, and there were several immediate executions. Many
who were guilty of little more than fostering Union sympathies
were marched off in the dead of winter to prisons in Georgia
and Alabama. The Union plan had not taken into consideration
the southerners' ability to rebuild and repair — the Hiwassee Bridge
was operational within two weeks of the burning. In fact, the
bridge burnings may have worked to the advantage of the South,
as many people who had been undecided were frightened and
joined the Confederate cause as the realities of war struck so
close to their homes.

The bridge was the site of a number of battles and skirmishes
throughout the war. One major confrontation involved com-
mands led by Gen. James Longstreet and General Sherman in
the fall of 1863. To delay Sherman, Longstreet set fire to the
bridge, which necessitated a river crossing. With Longstreet

McMINN 37

holding the high ground overlooking the river, Shermans cross-
ing became a deadly affair. He stood on the river bank and cried
out, "Recollect that East Tennessee is my horror."

Following the Battle of Chickamauga, a second, major en-
gagement involved forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest against
Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Forrest paid dearly for a momentary
success against Burnside and shifted his attention to Middle and
West Tennessee for the remainder of the war. Finally, following
the Battle of Fort Sanders at Knoxville, Gen. "Fighting Joe"
Wheeler led 1500 men against Union Col. Eli Long, who was
encamped near the bridge. Many of Wheeler s men advanced in
a valiant saber charge and fought hand to hand. Long's superior
troops were, however, victorious, and the last vestige of Confed-
erate strength in Tennessee was broken.

W r hile all of the events of the Civil War that involved McMinn
Countians cannot be recounted, at least the activities of two rep-
resentative units — one Confederate and one Union — can be ex-
amined closely.

Col. John C. Vaughns regiment, organized in Knoxville on
May 29, 1861, became the third Tennessee group to be accepted
into Confederate service. Assisting Vaughn was Col. Newton J.
Lillard from Meigs County. The company mustered in McMinn
County was led by Capt. Harry Dill. The formation of this unit
afforded many young men from the county their first real op-
portunity to join the Southern cause.

The unit immediately left for the battlefront in Virginia, and,
following several successful skirmishes, was involved in the First
Battle of Manassas Junction in mid-July. Throughout the early
part of 1862 the unit fought under Gen. Kirby Smith, and con-
centrated their efforts in upper East Tennessee in the pursuit of
guerrilla forces and bushwackers. Their next engagement was
at Tazewell in early August against three Union regiments. Al-
though outnumbered, the Tennessee forces were victorious in
the battle. Following further successes at Cumberland Gap,
Vaughn was promoted to the rank of general and Lillard com-
manded the regiment until the end of the war.

About this time Gen. U. S. Grant began to move against

38 Tennessee County History Series

Vicksburg, and several East Tennessee units were ordered there.
They faced Grant's superior numbers at the bloody battle at Bak-
er s Creek and, of 3800 who fought in this valiant attempt to
secure the city from further attack, only 2000 returned to the
trenches at Vicksburg. For the 44 days of the seige the unit was
responsible for successfully holding three hill batteries.

Following the surrender at Vicksburg, a period of intern-
ment, and subsequent exchange, Lillard reorganized Company
G in Charleston in early October. At this time they were up-
graded to mounted infantry, and joined the forces of General
Longstreet to fight at Knoxville. With the exception of the sur-
render at Vicksburg, this was actually the first timethat they had
been unsuccessful in pitched battle. From this moment on, the
war became treacherous, as an except from a war diary quoted
by Wilma Dykeman shows:

We were so badly off for horse-shoes that on the advance we had
stripped the shoes from all the dead horses, and we killed for that
purpose all the wounded and broken-down animals. During the
siege the river brought down to us a number of dead horses and
mules, thrown from the town. We watched for them, took them
out, and got the shoes and nails from their feet. Our men were
nearly as badly off as the animals — perhaps worse, as they did not
have hoofs. I have seen bloody stains on frozen ground, left by
the bare-footed where our infantry had passed. For shoes, we were
obliged to resort to the raw hides of beef cattle as temporary pro-
tection from the frozen ground.

Further fighting in the Shenandoah Valley and upper East Ten-
nessee continued in the final months of the war. There were a
few victories but many disasters. Company G's fighting spirit never
dwindled, and while Lee was bringing the conflict to an end at
Appomatox, they were camped nearby at New River ready to
take up the fight when so commanded. Lillards own unit, in forced
retreat and thinned by desertions, surrendered at Washington,
Georgia, on May 9, 1865.

In the latter part of the war, five companies of men were mus-
tered at Athens as the 7th Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regi-
ment, USA. The regiment was stationed at Athens under the

McMINN 39

command of Majors John McGaughey and Oliver M. Dodson.
Official records indicate that this unit participated only in the
skirmish in Athens on January 29, 1865. George W. Ross, quar-
termaster of the unit, described the action:

We were attacked yesterday by 300 rebels of Vaughns, Wheelers,
and bushwacker commands, and repulsed them from the town,
but they captured some 20 or 25 of our men, including major John
McGaughey. They retreated from the town in the evening and
remained all night seven miles from here, and rumor says they are
going to make another attack in connection with about the same
force that came from Madisonville yesterday.

An urgent request was sent to Knoxville for reinforcements,
especially artillery units. The next afternoon, veteran soldiers
arrived from Knoxville, and a somewhat different view of the
situation was reported in the Civil War Centennial materials:

The garrison of about 500 men were scattered through the town
and the county, a greater portion of them having disappeared in
the timber on the approach of the enemy the day previously and
had not yet returned. From the best information, we have learned
that about 200 guerrillas dashed into the place the day before about
1:00 p.m., and that they were in the public square before the gar-
rison knew it; that they remained three hours, and drew off at
their leisure without doing any injury to the town.

In March part of the regiment was ordered into the moun-
tains east of Athens to patrol and guard the passes, and another
group was sent to Clinton to help with martial law policing ac-
tivities. Those who remained with the regiment were mustered
out on July 27, 1865.

In many respects, primary source materials from this period
are almost nonexistent. To follow regiments is one thing, but to
know the individual acts of gallantry and ultimate sacrifice is quite
another. Beyond the regimental histories, countless individuals,
for one reason or another, fought in dozens of other units that
were mustered in places far removed from McMinn County; their
stories have not even been touched. The frontline combat of the
Civil War was horrific, and in addition to the outright battle deaths

40 Tennessee County Histoyy Series

thousands upon thousands died from infection, disease, star-
vation, and weather The scars that remained were deep, and
influenced political, family, and community differences over the
next century.

In spite of the scars, oneness of place and future brought
about a peaceful and productive postwar coexistence. The words
of the chronicler of Vaughns Brigade speak well of the Confed-
erate spirit in defeat:

The laying down of their arms, the striking of their colors, the
disbanding of their military organizations, and the return of al-
legiance to the Federal Govenment, were not the choice of these
long-tried veterans so long as there was hope; but when their bu-
gles were silent, their flag in the dust, their campfires gone out,
and their oath of fidelity to the South cancelled by the issues of
war, they were ready to resume their wonted position as citizens
of the United States, not in a spirit of hostility, but with the patriotic
desire to honor the Government protecting them.

In the next half century a new generation rebuilt the county
and brought it to new plateaus of accomplishment. The war
proved one thing for certain — that these were people of vitality
and courage who were willing to give whatever effort necessary
for a place that had become much more than a temporary jump-
ing off point for the next ridge to be climbed, the next river to
be crossed, or the next frontier to be tamed. This vitality would
be translated into new levels of progress in every aspect of com-
munity development, and the foundations for the twentieth cen-
tury would be laid.

Industrial and Community Growth

In 1951 Sir Eric Bowater of the English paper-making empire
was concerned with expanding his worldwide operation to the
United States. Calhoun was selected as the site of Bowaters'new
American plant. The reasons that Calhoun was chosen in 1951
were precisely the same reasons that it was important to the In-
dians and first white settlers: excellent natural resources, cen-
trality to transportation, and, most particularly, the abundantly

McMINN 41

available waters of the Hiwassee. Today, the Calhoun Bowaters
plant is the largest producer of newsprint in the world, and one
of a long list of mills in East Tennessee.

The first mills to appear in the county ground corn and wheat.
Later, the first cotton spinning mill in East Tennessee was erected
on Mouse Creek in the 1830s by Ephraim Slack. An old news-
paper report from that time states that the mill could do the
work of 100 women laboring at spinning wheels. Ephraim Slack
drowned in the mill pond a few years later and one of his sons,
John, went on to become a leading newspaperman in the state.

From about 1850 until the 1890s, when it was destroyed by
fire, a spinning mill in the Mt. Verd area was one of the biggest
industrial operations in the county. It was located to the left of
the double bridges at Mt. Verd and was owned originally by
Charles W. Metcalf. It came to be known as the McElwee Mill
when that family took over its operation.

This was the beginning of a textile industry which has con-
tinued to thrive in the county with companies such as Chilhowee,
Van Raalte, Crescent Hosiery, Athens Hosiery, and Beaunit each
having its period of importance. Finally, in the late 1930s, the
same resource that powered the mills was used by the Tennessee
Valley Authority to produce electrical power with water-driven
turbines. The industrial development of the county has always
been closely associated with its multitude of water resources.

One early mill was operated by the Saulpaw family one mile
east of Calhoun at the spot where the Eastanallee Creek runs
into the Hiwassee River. While the mill itself was torn down fol-
lowing the TVA acquisitions in the area, the old dam still re-
mains. The Saulpaws produced a popular brand of flour known
as "Silver Queen." In the 1921 centennial edition of a now extinct
publication called The Semi-Weekly Post, G. L. Saulpaw remarked
that business was good, but that he had been at the work so long
that "he would sell if a suitable buyer presented himself." The
imposing Saulpaw grave marker in the old cemetery next to the
Calhoun Baptist Church is one of the most elaborate in the county.

An even more notable success was the Long family's opera-

42 Tennessee County History Series

The Long family's Athens Roller Mills

tion of the Athens Roller Mill which continued on the Eastan-
allee near the heart of the Athens business district until the most
recent times. "Morning Glory Flour "and "Longs Perfection Self-
Rising Flour" were as popular in their day as Mayfields milk is
today. The Long milling operation later extended to other parts
of the county.

Mills quickly diversified with flume lines typically driving at
least two turbines in the same mill. The Riley Thompson mill
near Riceville was five stories high, and, in addition to the grist
operation, housed the furniture shop of Hamilton Jarnigan. The
machinery in Elisha Dotson's mill turned a saw for cutting tim-
ber, powered wool and cotton carding equipment, and did the
traditional corn and wheat grinding. A precursor of the "mill
town" appeared near the Frank Gettys mill in the lower Eastan-
allee valley, where a special type of cotton material called "duck-
ing" was produced. Elliot Keith produced rag paper stock at

McMINN 43

Glenmore which was one of the first six paper mills operating
in the state.

The water-powered mills ultimately gave way to advanced
technology. By 1901, for example, J. W. Trew operated a steam-
powered cotton gin at Dentville east of Calhoun near the Polk
County line. As late as 1968, thirteen bales of cotton were ginned
here. The old Trew store continues today as a relic of a bygone
era. One can move from one era to another by leaving the Bo-
waters mill at Calhoun and driving 13 miles across to Highway
411, through the Trew family settlement, and then to the old mill
town of Pendergast, now called Delano.

The era of the water-powered mill may be gone, but mem-
ories of the beauty, the sounds, and the visible power of the old
gears and turbines persist in the minds of the remaining few who
experienced their operation. The humming whine and staccato
clicking of the modern computerized factory pale by comparison.

Nothing quite captures the old mill experience like J. A. But-
terfields famous ballad "When You and I Were Young, Maggie."
This is one of the best-known songs of the entire "country" music
heritage, and interestingly enough had its antecedents in McMinn
County. George Johnson was born on the Hiwassee and, while
going to look for gold in the Unakas, came upon a mill along the
present L&N line between Etowah and Reliance. There he met
and later married Marrie Harris — "Maggie. "After living on the
Hiwassee for many years, they returned to visit the old mill. Here,
in a moment of inspired reflection, Johnson wrote the poem that
later became the basis for Butterfield's famous song.

The industrial expansion and accompanying population
growth that reached beyond the time of the great water mills
would have been severely handicapped had it not been for the
appearance of railroads in the county. In fact, railroad construc-
tion, from the development of the first important communities
in the county outside of Athens and Calhoun, to the creation
of the major railroading and community center at Etowah in
1906, to the building of the 9.2 mile L&N spur to Bo-
waters in 1961 which was the longest new track construction by
L&N since the 1940s, has always been at the center of expansion

44 Tennessee County History Series

in the county. It should also be made clear that the railroad did
not simply come to McMinn County by accident. It was because
of the support of the general population of McMinn County that
the first railroad construction project in Tennessee occurred here.

The railroads were to an earlier time what interstate high-
ways have been to the present time. This is no small considera-
tion, especially when one compares the industrialization and
growth of McMinn County to its neighboring county of Meigs
which is still the only county in the state which has no rail line at
all. Consider also the way that growth in McMinn County lagged
behind that of Bradley County in recent years because of the
longer time that it took for the interstate system to be completed
in McMinn. In every respect, the decisions which brought the
railroads into McMinn were of highest significance and the re-
sult of enlightened and progressive minds.

The story of the Hiwassee Rail Road, which became the East
Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad and ultimately a part
of the Southern Railroad system in 1894, is told in detail byjames
Burn in The Daily Post-Athenian Sesqui-centennial Edition.

One of the persons primarily responsible for bringing the
first railroad through McMinn County was James Hayes Rea-
gan, who was elected to the state senate in 1835. He was assisted
in the legislature by John Miller, representing McMinn County,
and Elijah Hurst, representing both McMinn and Monroe coun-
ties. These men were later joined by R. C. Jackson, for whom
Jackson Street in Athens is named (not Andrew Jackson as most
assume). Jackson even went so far as to bring in Samuel P. Ivins,
the county's first prominent newspaper man, to establish the Ath-
ens Post for the primary reason of convincing the general pop-
ulace, who would ultimately have to help with financing, on the
idea of railroads.

In addition to the accomplishments of these men and others
who will be named, two other factors made the route through
McMinn attractive. First, the area was not mountainous, and sec-
ondly, there had already existed for some time a major stage
route that ran from Dalton, Georgia, to Cleveland and then to

McMINN

45

J. H. Reagan, the
guiding spirit be-
hind the early rail-
road development

Athens. It then went to Greenback where there was a ferry cross-
ing the Tennessee River, and beyond the river into Knoxville.
Those who originated the railroad idea decided to follow this
route from Dalton to Athens, but then head directly up the
Sweetwater Valley (where Reagan had large land holdings) to
Blair's Ferry (present-day Loudon), where goods and passen-
gers could be ferried and carried on into Knoxville.

In 1836 the Tennessee legislature approved a proposal by which
the state would provide one-third capital funding, if two-thirds
could be raised by subscription, to finance a railroad project. The
Hiwassee Rail Road Company was immediately formed. The in-

46 Tennessee County History Series

itial plan was to sell 4000 shares at $100.00 per share by January
1, 1837.

By this time, however, only $120,000 had been raised, so six
McMinn Countians — Asbury Coffey, James Fyffe, Alexander
Keves, Onslow Murrell, Nathaniel Smith, and T. Nixon Van
Dyke — personally secured the balance. The stockholders held
their first meeting in Athens and elected Solomon Jacobs of
Knoxville president. They ordered surveys conducted, rights-
of-way secured, and a two-story headquarters building con-
structed by the Cleages in Athens. The structure, referred to as
the "Cleage Building" earlier, still stands next to the Federal
Building on North Jackson Street.

The stockholders first anticipated that the 98V4 mile proj-
ect — figured at a cost of $11,500 per mile, including bridges over
the Hiwassee at Calhoun and the Tennessee at Loudon — would
cost $1,250,000. By mid-1839 work was halted. Almost $936,329
had been spent, and all there was to show for it was a bridge at
Calhoun, 66 miles of graded roadbed, and a partially completed
iron manufacturing plant at Charleston which had been hap-
hazardly conceived as a major money-saving enterprise to sup-
ply the builders with their own spikes and rails.

Because of a variety of legal and legislature actions, charter
revisions, and new attempts at financing, work was not resumed
until 1849. As a part of these revisions, the corporation became
the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. Representative David
Ballew and Senator William Cooke of McMinn County had worked
diligently to bring the new charter into existence. Alexander Keyes
was elected president, with T Nixon Van Dyke, W. F. Keith, and
R. C. Morris among the directors. Officials held ground-break-
ing ceremonies in Dalton in June of 1849 at the southern terminal.

Work now proceeded quickly and without many problems.
In fact, as each new mile of track stretched northward huge pub-
lic fanfare, free barbeques, and inspired oratory were held — all
designed to increase the already burgeoning public support. By
February of 1852 tracks had reached Mouse Creek (present-day
Niota), Sweetwater by April, and finally by July the river at Lou-
don. In 1854, on property bought from the heirs of James

McMINN 47

Willson, Si., the ET&Ga built a depot at Mouse Creek, the old-
est still in use in Tennessee.

The northbound passenger train left Dalton at 2:30 p.m.; it
was due at Varnells at 2:57, at Red Clay at 3:15, at Blue Spring
at 3:42, at Cleveland at 3:54, at Charleston at 4:30, at Riceville
at 4:51, at Athens at 5:15, at Mouse Creek at 5:35, at Sweetwater
at 5:57, and at Philadelphia at 6:15. It was scheduled to arrive
at Loudon at 6:35 p.m. The southbound train left Loudon at 4:00
a.m. and arrived at Dalton at 8:30 a.m. An additional freight train
ran from each terminal daily with a maximum of 20 cars loaded
to 16,000 pounds (according to Burn, the amount carried by three
freight cars today).

In mid-1852 James Gettys of Athens received the contract to
build the Loudon bridge. He employed George W. Saulpaw, a
stone mason from the North, to build the piers; the superstruc-
ture was subcontracted. By the middle of 1855 it was possible to
go from Dalton to Knoxville by rail. The ET&G planned a grand
"Railroad Jubilee and Fourth of July Celebration" and offered
the celebrants a special $4.00 round-trip fare from Knoxville to
Dalton. Although in 1851 Athens was designated the main center
of operations, in 1856 under the direction of new president
Campbell Wallace, the headquarters were moved to Knoxville.
One can only speculate what McMinn County would be like to-
day if it had become a major southeastern railway center.

The role of the ET&Ga in the Civil War has already been
mentioned. Senator Reagan, one of its founders, had been a Union
supporter, but gave his final allegiance to his southern home-
land. He was kidnapped late in the war by the Union army and
held ransom for a northern prisoner being held in the South
named Joseph Monroe. Efforts on both the northern and south-
ern sides to secure his release were too slow, and Reagan died
from the overexposure to the elements he experienced during
confinement.

Later generations of McMinn Countians watched huge steam
engines and sleek diesels cover the lines surveyed and built by
these pioneer entrepreneurs. The station at Athens finally met
the same fate as passenger service, and its absence continues to

48 Tennessee County History Series

be mourned by those who used it as a point of reference for the
entire community. Today, part of the old station has been incor-
porated into the structures of the Tennessee Valley Railroad
Museum in Chattanooga.

Names like those of agents J. W. Fisher and Fred Snyder, en-
gineers Charles Brackett, Buster Dunn, C. H. Henritze, and es-
pecially their trains — "The Tennessean," "The Birmingham
Special," and "The Pelican," which became famous in the first
half of the twentieth century — still remain to recall a rich mo-
ment in the county's heritage.

During the 1890s the Knoxville Southern Railroad built a line
that cut across the eastern side of the county and connected
Knoxville to Atlanta by a new route, thus opening an almost en-
tirely untouched section to the kind of commercial success that
the ET&Ga had brought to the Sweetwater Valley. This second
road soon merged with the Marietta and North Georgia Rail-
road to become the Atlanta, Knoxville, and Northern Railroad.
It ran from Knoxville through Monroe County to Tellico Junc-
tion (Englewood), and ten miles south of the junction took an
abrupt cut toward the spectacular Hiwassee River Gorge and
then on to Marietta.

In 1904 construction of a new line from this cut-off point
south of Tellico Junction straight through to Cartersville was be-
gun. The town of Etowah was established at this time and soon
became the repair center and headquarters of the Atlanta divi-
sion of what was by then a part of the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad. By 1925 more than 2000 persons were employed at
the Etowah operation and 21 trains (14 passenger and 7 freight)
came through the Etowah station. The old station, which had
been allowed to deteriorate, has recently been restored into a
beautiful landmark.

With the exception of renewed activity caused by World War
II, the Etowah operation began to decline in the 1930s. The shops
were oriented to repair wooden cars which became obsolete, and
company headquarters were consolidated at Knoxville. Today,
Etowah railroading activities primarily involve shipments from
Copperhill and the large pulpwood and paper traffic associated

McMINN 49

with Bowaters. Many people in Etowah with close ties to the L&N
still remember famous passenger trains of the early and mid
twentieth century such as "The Southland," "The Georgian, "and
"The Flamingo."

Finally, in 1887, the Tellico Railroad Company was incor-
porated to build a 22-mile line from Athens to Tellico Plains.
This opened a relatively unexploited timber and mining area to
rail service in a more profitable manner. The road was in op-
eration a little over a year later.

An important community grew up in 1870 two miles south-
east of the place where the new Tellico line crossed the AK&N
line at a place which became known as Tellico Junction. Jacob,
James, and Mortimer Brient, who had already become note-
worthy for establishing the Hickory Flat Roller Mills and the Jer-
sey Herd and Dairy east of Athens, built several shops, mills, and
houses to take advantage of the railroad construction. By 1907
the locus of commerce had so completely shifted to Tellico Junc-
tion that the Eureka Cotton Mill moved there, becoming the pri-
mary establishment in town. The following year the community s
name was changed to Englewood at the suggestion of Miss Nan-
nie Chesnutt, sister of James Brient's wife, because it reminded
her of the wooded home of Robin Hood she had read about as
a child. In 1901 the Brients had joined J. W. Chesnutt in building
a flour and feed mill called the Englewood Milling Company,
and in 1917 Chesnutt joined with a Knoxville group to establish
a hosiery mill, the Englewood Manufacturing Company.

The terms "Yellow Top,""Socktown,"and "Onion Hill" still are
important designations that came to describe the tenement com-
munities of the Eureka, Englewood Manufacturing, and Engle-
wood Milling companies respectively. As at Etowah, the Great
Depression of the 1930s took a severe toll on Englewood industry.

An uncredited article, "Gem of the Unakas," reveals a unique
aspect of life in Englewood in the early 1920s:

If we envied anybody, it would be the quiet, happy people of the
splendid little city of Englewood. Her women, as well as the men,
are wide awake business people. The women are playing an im-
portant role in its development: a woman is the president of the

50 Tennessee County History Series

- - . - -'-■ ■ ,

i

§1

mmi

White Cliffs Springs resort hotel

Eureka Hosiery; a woman, Miss Sallie Smith, is assistant cashier of
the Bank of Englewood and is also a member of the Board of Di-
rectors; a woman, Mrs. Heath, runs the principal hotel; a woman,
Mrs. Tallent, runs a first class boarding house; and women, Mrs.
Chesnutt and her daughters, Misses Grace and Nannie, run a 600
acre farm.

The Tellico Railroad line itself prospered until 1911 when it
was taken over by the L&N, which allowed this line to extend its
operations to Athens. The train left Athens each morning at ten,
made eight stops before reaching Tellico Plains, and then re-
turned to Athens by shortly after four in the afternoon. In 1983
the line from Englewood to Tellico Plains was abandoned.

The most interesting stop may have been at White Cliff sta-
tion where passengers made connections with carriages to the
White Cliff Springs Resort on Starr's Mountain. Once a summer
residence for the very wealthy similar to Lookout Mountain in

McMINN 51

Chattanooga, by the early 1900s an exquisite resort had been
established. The mineral water springs and clear mountain air
made it one of the most popular resorts in the nation. The first
pike road — Mecca Pike — built in the county connected Athens
with these springs. In 1914 the hotel went out of business and
for a few years the resort operated as the White Cliff Club in
which accommodations were owned by different individuals,
much like todays condominiums. Several wealthy families from
the county participated in this venture.

Two conductors on the Tellico line gained a high reputation.
M. M. Miller left the railroad to establish Miller Brothers De-
partment Store in Etowah. J. W. Gregory worked for fifty years
and retired in the late 1950s when passenger service on the line
was eliminated. Another well-known personality was Etowah's
Sid Garwood who served the L&N line as an engineer for many
years. Garwood brought the first train into Etowah on December
6, 1906. Garwood's two brothers were also famous L&N railroaders.

The late 1800s and early 1900s were a time of vigorous in-
dustrial growth throughout the United States, and no better ex-
ample could be found than McMinn County. There were
numerous spinoffs of the railroads. For example, A. E. Walthall
and F. O. Mahery established a crosstie yard that at one time was
shipping one and a half million board feet of lumber per month
to major railroads throughout the northern and eastern part of
the country.

Improved communications and transportation became signs
of the time, and McMinn Countians took advantage of them. As
early as 1888, Mr. and Mrs. T J. Long established a crude tele-
phone system by stringing a long wire from their business across
the street to their home; they used tin cups on each end as trans-
mitters and receivers. In 1912 another progressive citizen con-
tributed to the decline of the livery business by introducing the
first taxi, and by the 1920s the Tennessee Coach Company had
brought bus service to the county. But it was the railroads that
rushed the county into the modern age.

One of the most ambitious projects ever to begin in McMinn
Countv involved the establishment, in 1887, of the Athens Min-

52 Tennessee County History Series

ing and Manufacturing Company. The grand scheme of the new
company included a model industrial and residential commu-
nity on 800 acres in the North Athens section of the city using
the present Woodward Avenue as the main street. This involved
street and utility construction and space for churches and rec-
reation. Funds for the model city were to include at least the
following: $100,000 to start a woolen mill; $100,000 to construct
a cotton plaid mill; $90,000 for a cotton sheeting mill; $60,000
for a cotton warp mill; $60,000 for a warp mill exclusively to
produce jeans; $30,000 for a majestic hotel; $10,000 for a new
public school; whatever was necessary for a new water system;
and cooperation in the venture of a railroad to Tellico Plains.

The original charter was signed by R. L. Bright, R.J. Fisher,
F. W. McElwee, W. M. Nixon, George W. Ochs, A. C. Robeson,
and John L. Young, Jr. Bright served as the first president, Fisher
was the first general manager, and W. Gettys became the first vice
president. The company was ambitiously constituted, to quote
from its charter, for the following purposes:

carrying on the business of mining for coal, copper, zinc, mica,
iron, or other ore or mineral including the operation of quarrying
for slate, limestone, or marble, and for sinking shafts or boring for
petroleum, rock oil, salt water, or other valuable liquids hidden in
the earth, and for the business of manufacturing any raw material
by the aid of machinery into articles suitable for use as cotton and
woolen factories, for making bagging and bale rope or iron bands
for baling cotton, forming implements or other articles whether
from iron or wood, and in general of carrying on of any other
business properly coming within the definition of a manufactory.

The company conducted an aggressive advertising cam-
paign throughout the eastern United States. Prospective inves-
tors received special railroad rates to come and see the property,
and eventually people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Geor-
gia, and Tennessee bought stock. In June of 1887, when the first
lots were sold, $500,000 was supposed to be spent on the site
within three years. The whole concept was an excellent example
of American utopianism at its best.

Unfortunately, for a combination of reasons, by 1889 the cor-

McMINN

53

R. J. Fisher, entrepreneur and inventor who
brought the county national attention

poration was in desperate financial circumstances, involved in a
number of lawsuits, and faced foreclosure. Perhaps the most
compelling problem was that many other communities across
the nation were involved in similar projects and promised pay-
ments by investors often did not materialize. In addition, Knox-
ville and Chattanooga were more rapidly growing markets which
lured good businesses away and were more attractive to pros-
pective firms looking for new locations. An excellent example is
the foundry and machine shop of George Wheland which was

5 4 Ten > lessee Co u nty History Series

established in Athens in 1868, but which moved to Chattanooga
and continues to be a principal business of that city as one of
the main suppliers of the auto industry in the Southeast. (The
Wheland name descended from the ancient Anglo-Saxon
mythological hero "Wayland the Smith" who was conceived
to be the semidivine forerunner of iron workers.)

R. J. Fisher, who established the first hosiery mill in Athens,
brought the first bicycle to town, and became the first McMinn
Countian to ride in an airplane, gained patents on a new type-
writer concept that led to the establishment of the Fisher Type-
writer Factory; however, since the business centers of the country
were in the Northeast, the company moved first to Cleveland,
Ohio, and then to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In spite of the fact that the grand scheme failed, the area did
become significantly industrialized, and factories and mills con-
tinued to be an important aspect of the economy in this area into
the modern age. Owners of the Athens Hosiery Mill quickly
completed their part of the project and also built a considerable
number of tenement dwellings; this mill remains. A furniture
manufactory also started operations, and its traditions are con-
tinued today by other companies in the same area of town such
as Athens Bed Company, Athens Table Company, Carver Man-
ufacturing Company, and McKeehan Chair. The water works
planned in the original scheme became operational, making
"Water Tank Hill" a focal point of the community. To keep pace
with development in the area, city fathers were busy with street
construction.

The crowning glory of the whole project was the mining cor-
poration's hotel. The building, called "The Crand View Hotel,"
was a magnificent architectural achievement and along with the
R. J. Fisher residence, on the present site of the First Baptist
Church, represented the most advanced and aesthetically pleas-
ing design of the day. The hotel, which was never actually com-
pleted by the corporation, was ultimately sold to Grant University
(the precursor of Tennessee Wesleyan College) in 1892 and was
known as Parker College. The building was struck by lightning

M cM INN

J) J)

■mQ^'I'i;,'^

The R. J. Fisher home on the site of the present First Baptist Church

on July 10, 1907, and burned in one of the most famous fires of
the county's history. Either sarcastically or affectionately the
building came to be known as the "Red Elephant." After it burned,
John and Gus Kelley cleaned the bricks for 10^ per 100, and their
father Joseph hauled them to the Tennessee Wesleyan campus.
There they were used as an interior wall in a new construction
project.

In his short memoir Charles F. Keith, Jr., detailed what the

56 Tennessee County History Series

tfPl

HHHb

The Grand View Hotel, known as the "Red Elephant'

city square of Athens looked like in 1870. Corners were typically
given names related to long-term ownership or because of res-
idences that had at one time existed on the particular sites. Al-
though these names may be confusing to the outsider, natives
continue to use them to describe locations.

A hardware store owned by T. F. Gibson stood on the south-
east corner of the square at the intersection of White Street and
Madison Avenue. In later years, the busy Newton's Bus Station
and Restaurant seved as a hub for travelers coming into the county.
Across the street to the north, where for many years there was
an A&P grocery store and in more recent years a variety of dis-
count stores stood the residence and dry goods store of W. G.
Horton. Beyond that on the longtime site of Cherokee Hadware
Company was the three-story Bayless hardware store — this cor-
ner was called the "Dewitt Corner."

Continuing north and crossing Jackson Street the "Ballew
Corner "was once occupied by a laundry and tailor shop run by
two men named Levi and Chang; by 1870 the Hortons had a

McMINN 57

drugstore there which continued under family ownership until
recent times. This corner is now a parking lot.

West across Madison Avenue, where the Robert E. Lee Hotel
stands today, was the "Henderson Corner"; before the hotel was
built, it had been a stagecoach headquarters. The present hotel
was built in 1926 by G. J. Lockmiller using some of the finest
marbles available. "Slim" Armstrong was a thirteen-year-old
bellhop and across the years became as much of an institution
as the hotel itself. "Lizzie" Fisher had once had a hat shop on
this site.

Continuing along this side of the street, the next corner was
identified with the McKeldin family. Will and John Horton had
a dry goods store here, and in later years — before the shopping
center era — Proffit's Department Store was highly successful.

Across Washington Street on the site long occupied by the
First National Bank was the "McGaughey Corner." There was a
large tin shop here which reached back toward the present Tuell's
Grocery, which has become something of a local landmark in
recent years. The Forees came in later years and established their
first medical practice on this block before moving, in 1930, to the
city's first hospital, which they had built.

Moving south across Jackson Street to the corner recently
occupied by Woolworths, and once occupied by Riddles Drugs
before it moved down the block and became Riddle and Wallace,
was the location of Dutch Cunninghams Drugs. Above the
drugstore was an exclusive private association, the Eastanalle Club,
where the self-appointed business and professional elite of the
community regularly convened. Many of the important political,
social, and economic decisions affecting the community were made
within the confines of this circle.

Moving along to the site occupied by the Strand Theatre and
Heird's Drugs was the "Atlee Corner," and across White Street at
the old First Farmers Bank location was the "Grubb Corner." A
large, open ditch, with several bridges and crosswalks, ran along
the west side of White Street from Depot Hill to the Eastanallee
Creek (the Indian spelling, Oostanaula, is often used today) and
for many years was a source of great consternation to the citizenry.

58 Tennessee County History Series

Mule trading day in Athens before the turn of the century

Finally, to the east across Washington Street on the "Crow
Corner" was a meat and produce market run by Jim Crow and
a grocery store run by his son, George. On down the block to the
present Citizens Bank, where Miller s Department Store with its
unique cable-and-cup money-carrying system once stood, was
the "Crawford Corner." Yet another dry goods store and a public
well originally occupied this location.

Tradition says, according to Keith, that the McGaughey Cor-
ner was the gathering place of those of Whig/Unionist senti-
ments, and the Crawford Corner the focal point of old Democrat/
Confederate persuasion. On many occasions the air around the
square was highly charged with political tension. It was not un-
usual for tempers to become aroused and for blows to be struck.
In a later generation, this same square erupted in a political ex-
plosion which would be heard throughout the nation.

Before the turn of the century a narrow gauge track ran from
Depot Hill down present-day Jackson Street, turned left at the

McMINN 59

square, and ran on out toward where the First Baptist Church
is today. The track stopped at what was then Tobe Getty's corn-
field. George Brown operated the small car, which was pulled by
a team of mules.

Weston A. Goodspeeds biographical sketches in History of East
Tennessee provide only brief glimpses, but leave little doubt that
there were vigorous, intelligent, industrious, and ambitious peo-
ple in the county after the Civil War. William Dixon came to
McMinn County with 25£ and a suit of clothes; by 1886 he was
worth $10,000. George W Foster, who "made himself quite fa-
mous as a horse dealer," was a Republican and served with the
Federal forces "during the late war." "He is not a member of any
church, but believes in the Bible. His wife is a professor of re-
ligion, but had not yet connected herself with any church." Wil-
liam L. Harbison, after serving with the Confederate forces,
returned to East Tennessee in 1869; "but as someone attempted
to assassinate him, for safety he resided in Decatur and other
points in Tennessee.... He returned to Athens in 1875 where he
had a lucrative law practice.... The Harbisons are of Irish ex-
traction and, without exception, Democrats. "James M. Hender-
son, president of the First National Bank, represented the county
at the constitutional convention in Nashville in 1865. James
Howard Hood, who founded the McMinn Citizen newspaper,
"advanced so rapidly in his studies that he passed examinations
and became a public school teacher at the age of seventeen. "About
1885 he left his teaching position to become the railroad station
agent at Mouse Creek (Niota). James T Johnson was wounded
in the hand at Fort Donelson, "and was saved from another by
his cartridge box, which stopped a bullet." He was captured and
imprisoned for seven months at Camp Morton in Indianapolis.
By 1886 he was a "well-to-do farmer." J. H. Lusk "located in Ath-
ens in 1879... and is one of the most popular and efficient sales-
men in the county, where he is universally known and highly
respected." The merchant Benjamin F. Martin was a self-made
and highly respected man, who came to Calhoun with only a wife
and a pony. Frank B. McElwee, who manufactured cotton goods,
"belonged to the U.S. Army Secret Service and... at different times

60 Tennessee County History Series

piloted the Union Army through the mountains of East Ten-
nessee. "James Oliphant, who was retired at the time Goodspeed
wrote, began his medical practice with only $5, and by the be-
ginning of the war was worth over $15,000. Joseph C. Rucker,
well-known and enterprising farmer, "went to Nashville to join
the Union Army, but decided to return home and protect his
mother. "James P. Thompson, after one year of study under Dr.
T.J. Evans in Charleston, was ready to practice dentistry, which
he did for nine years. He was also a successful trader in livestock,
mules and horses. James D. Williams, leading merchant and
postmaster at Williamsburg, "began life a poor man, but by in-
dustry and careful management has accumulated a fair portion
of the worlds goods." He was a Royal Arch Mason, a Democrat,
and a straight prohibitionist. William P. Willson, well-known and
enterprising planter who owned nearly 520 acres, "has been a
live and progressive man, but not ambitious for wealth." These
detailed here, and others like them, gave to McMinn County the
sweat of their brow and the strength of their hearts.

A large number of individuals and businesses became firmly
established in the county during the period immediately follow-
ing World War I. The growing economy allowed for the creation
of a professional and business establishment that served as the
cornerstone for community growth over the next half century.
A brief description of the leading businesses and professions,
based on the 1921 centennial edition of The Semi-Weekly Post, is
in order.

Live Oaks Farms was the predecessor of the regionally well-
known Mayfield Dairy Farms. A 1922 advertisement read: "T B.
Mayfield and Son are among the best farmers of the
county.... Cattle Tuberculine Tested — dairy products from tu-
berculine tested cattle should command your first consideration,
and its importance cannot be overestimated." The Mayfield op-
eration also included the sale of cattle, horses, mules, and "fa-
mous" Berkshire hogs.

In 1928 F. O. Mahery, Sr., who had been involved in the
Walthall and Mahery lumber and crosstie operation, took over
leadership of the Athens Stove Works which had opened in

McMINN 61

Mayfields Dairy Farms — perhaps the best known business in the county

1924. In the 33 years of Maherys presidency, the company
moved from wood and coal stoves to gas in 1932 and electric
in 1956. The company motto, "Vesta Stoves for Better Living
— Everywhere, "became a national slogan.

After it introduced a new tractor plow invented by Jay
Stevenson, who worked for McMinn Motor Company, the Ath-
ens Plow Company became a major industrial concern in the
county. E. L. Willson, its president, established himself as a key
leader in the local business community. In the mid-1940s J. H.
Taylor moved from Athens Plow to produce his own farm equip-
ment inventions at Taylor Implement Manufacturing Company.
The Dennis Foundry did much of the casting of heavy metal for
the local industries.

The Athens Furniture Company, which became Athens Ta-
ble and Manufacturing Company, was owned by the Hoback
family. Carl, Richard, and Sarah Bayless were instrumental in
the company's operation. The Post chronicler said of Sarah that
"her untiring interest has proven how valuable the services of a
woman may become."

The success of the Athens Hosiery Mill resulted from the
creativity and genius of R. J. Fisher, Sr. His sons: R. J. 5 Jr., who
had strong design and technical expertise, and Ed, whose ca-
maraderie with the mill employees is still well-remembered in

62 Tennessee County History Series

North Athens, later managed the firm. The mill became famous
for its "Spartan," "Takoma Pear," and "Maid of Athens" brands
which were distributed throughout the world. The products of
this mill were probably the first to represent McMinn County
internationally.

There were three drugstores in 1921. The Horton family had
been important to the business development of the county al-
most since its inception, and Joe Horton had operated Horton
and Sons Drugs, with his son Glen, for 48 years. The Post writer
was correct in saying that Miles A. Riddle in eleven years had
built "a business which will remain one of Athens' greater insti-
tutions during the years to come." Ed Heird, who was from Meigs
County, worked for Riddle and later opened his own drugstore
on the same block. Of the Julian Pharmacy, which no longer ex-
ists, the Post rhapsodized: "his soda jerker juggles a wicked glass.
His fountain dispenses all the frozen and semi-artistic dainties
usually found in a metropolitan palace of sweets, which causes
the cash register to tinkle merrily."

There were a large variety of general merchandise and hard-
ware stores which by the early 1920s had begun to develop spe-
cialties. The J. W. Colston Store had been in operation since 1894.
The J. Nat Moore Hardware was the leading name in feed and
seed sales in the county for many years. Today, it specializes in
home appliances. Bayless Hardware had just added a furniture
and music department, and Lackey Hardware, with Leuty Owen
as its main clerk, had begun to sell Buick automobiles. Lackeys
full-page Christmas ad offered the chance to win a 75-piece din-
nerware set worth $65.00, a considerable amount for that time.

Ford vehicles were sold by McMinn Motor Company which
continues to exist. The dealership was led by Cyril Jones, brother
of the important political figure Clem Jones, and Hugh Lowery.
Marshall J. Keith sold Chevrolets and Studebakers at Athens
Motor Company. Gasoline for these automobiles was provided
by Dixie Filling Station where, according to the Post, W. E. Clark
"exchanges the product of John D. for the product of the United
States Mint." The big selling feature was "visible gas" and the
company carried Mansfield, Silvertown, Oxford, and Rem-

McMINN 63

ington tires. R.J. Haley Rubber Company sold tires and vulcan-
ized its own rubber.

Insurance companies were popular during this period. Dod-
son Insurance Agency, the oldest in the county, was founded by
William Calvin Dodson in 1899 and operated until 1968 under
the able and memorable direction of Frank Dodson. It was re-
cently merged into the Athens Insurance Agency. L. H. Hoback,
one of the best-known music directors in the region, and C. F.
Keith, Jr., the ranking major of the state national guard, also
headed insurance agencies.

J. H. Neil, father of the well-known Joe Wheeler Neil, op-
erated a grocery store at the corner of Jackson and Washington
Street for many years. D. B. Shoemaker and his wife Marie, a
war bride from France, opened a grocery business which was so
successful the store building itself fell in because of the weight
of the stock that had to be kept on hand. Bud Steed operated
the first "chain" grocery with two locations in the county. In the
1960s, in spite of the entrance of national grocery chains into the
community, Alfred McKeehan started a local store which even-
tually had branches in most of the counties of southeast Tennessee.

In addition to the clothes that were sold in the general mer-
chandise stores, specialty apparel shops were established. Owen
and Company was highly visible for many years on the square
in Athens. James Cravey, a salesperson, later opened his own dry
goods store. Kate Fox operated a hat shop (a millinery), and the
Smith Bootery claimed to be able to "fit the pedal extremities of
either Cinderella or Goliath." In 1915 Morris Goodfriend be-
came the first important Jewish merchant in the county. The
Goodfriend name continues to be identified with the finest in
mens wear. In later years Simon Monen continued the tradition
of excellent Jewish business establishments in the community.

The First National Bank, established in 1872, came to prom-
inence with leaders such as J. M. Henderson, James Hornsby,
R. M., R. J., and James G. Fisher, Clem Jones, and S. F. Gettys.
The former downtown branch building had just been completed
in 1921 and was the showplace of East Tennessee according to
the local promotions. In 1938 Pat Love came to Athens from

64 Tennessee County History Series

Morristown and bought controlling interest in the First Farmers
Bank from Tom Sherman. On May 1, 1940, he assumed presi-
dency of the bank and, along with his brother Founta, operated
the well-known institution until 1968. The bank was eventually
sold to a group of businessmen from Memphis who were backed
by the First National Bank of that city.

Finally, there were several highly specialized businesses which
were doing well during the postwar period. The Strand Theatre,
which was called "The Palace" until 1916 and was the first movie
house in the county to succeed, continued in operation until about
1980. W. W. Padgett Marble Company sent exquisite Tennessee
and Georgia marble throughout the world. Coming from a far
corner of the world for that day, Dr. J. A. Saliba of Betargin,
Syria, opened a sanitorium on the site of the present Hammer-
Johnson Supply Company. The hospital was in the Blizzard House,
a mansionlike building across the street from the Monday House,
another local hotel.

Of the varied material in The Semi-Weekly Post special edition,
the description of the Athens Steam Laundry is the most unfor-
gettable. Under the heading "Let Her Live a Little Longer "and
the subheading "Olliker Walliker, Olliker Rocks, Let the Laun-
dry Wash Your Socks," the business of the youthful, enterprising
Cecil Martin is thus saluted:

When the average resident of Athens learns that the wife's energy,
effort and muscle is worth considerable more than the dime nec-
essary to "get the laundry to do it," and that sanitation as a general
thing is a minus quality in the laundry of "Aunt Diana," and that
the Athens Steam Laundry employs no chink to squirt and spray
the water through his nose over the delicate kerchief and the but-
tonless night shirt, then and then only will the business of the Ath-
ens Steam Laundry pick up, materially.

In 1921 the object of the greatest excitement in the county
was the work on the state's first concrete highway which was being
constructed from the Hiwassee River north to Athens. The pav-
ing of streets in Athens to join with this modern Lee Highway
became a source of great civic pride.

The first highly mechanized equipment used to work county roads. In
this 1923 photograph the caterpillar is pulling a road grader.

The rock for the highway project was dug and crushed at the
present site of Knox Park. A short section of the road still exists
from the city of Calhoun to U.S. Highway 11. As a young man
in his early twenties, my father, Bob Byrum, was employed by
the state to test the concrete. This involved drilling out a core
every fifty feet, with each new hole one foot over from the pre-
ceding one. It was undoubtedly a laborious process to follow this
pattern the 14 miles from the Hiwassee River bridge to the Ath-
ens city limits. The road-builders were making history, and there
was always a curious and inquisitive group of onlookers to help
pass the day.

In 1933 J. M. Sharp published a personal memoir entitled Rec-
ollections and Hearsays of Athens Fifty Years and Beyond which consti-
tutes the most detailed historical recollection of McMinn County,
and particularly Athens, to date. Sharp had been involved in a va-
riety of occupations that included teaching school and delivering
newspapers. He had a distinct flair for words and, in addition to
his historical material, had published poetry and a booklet entitled
"Letters to the Man in the Moon." Sharps record provides at least
a glimpse at important figures between the wars.

66 Tennessee County History Series

During this particular period the community probably had
as many physicians as at any time in its history. Dr. J. R. Nanki-
ville was the oldest doctor in town and, in addition to his medical
work, contributed immeasurably to the advancement of edu-
cation in the area. Dr. J. L. Proudfoot (who had practiced from
a house on the Eastanallee between the present Cooke Box and
Mayfield's) had just died and the community had given his family
a house so that they could remain in Athens. Dr. J. O. Foree, who
had established a clinic, had passed from the scene but his two
sons, Ed and Carey, were carrying on in the hospital they estab-
lished in 1930. Dr. L. W. Spradling was well-known for his avo-
cations; he was a mechanic, writer, and landscape painter, and
according to Sharp "an all around versatile genius, a ra-
diator of sunshine." Drs. Ross Arrants, Brock, Dubois, Roy
Epperson (who opened a second hospital in January of 1936),
and Janeway completed the list of physicians. In addition to
these men, Dr. G. W. Stanton had become popular as the
physician identified with North Athens.

The primary building material of the period was wood, so
lumber yards and building supply houses were important. Tom
Sherman, who may be the richest man in the county's history,
and Mel Hammer owned the Sherman-Hammer Company. Hugh
and Charles Hoback operated the Athens Planing Mill; the
Duckworth Planing Mill was also prominent. Furniture was an-
other necessity so the Johnson and McSpadden families entered
the county business community in the time between the wars;
both continue to be prominent. Among the attorneys repre-
sented were Judge S. C. Brown and E. B. Madison who had been
in the area for the longest period of time in 1933. H. M. Chan-
dler, in addition to his legal activities in the county, had served
24 years in the state legislature; Jimmie Clark and Tom Taylor
had each been in the legislature for one term. Clem Jones and
R. A. Davis became prominent because of their involvement with
both the Southern and L&N railroads. Among the younger men
in the profession were Paul Stewart and R. N. Ivins.

Among the teachers mentioned by Sharp were Professor
J. C. Ridenour, who had been principal at Forrest Hill School

McMINN 67

for eighteen years, and Professor J. H. Walker, who had been
principal of North Athens School. Mrs. Laura Sliger and Annie
Sliger taught for many years in the city school system.

ADeSoto-Plymouth Agency opened under the management
of Mitchell Hanks and J. M. Millard; Mooney Tallentand Dillard
Brown worked here. Another garage was operated by the Wil-
kins family. Mrs. R. J. McKeldin was the local florist and there
were two undertakers, that owned by Harry Evans and the new
Quissenberry and Forrest. Sharp concluded his list of luminaries
by remembering his own colleagues, the paper carriers, about
whom he said: "We carry papers to the palace of the rich and the
hovel of the poor, and thus we help the knights of the quill."

Industrial and community growth in the county was not con-
fined to Athens. Tobe Gettys, who owned a woolen mill south of
Riceville, constructed a depot on the Southern line and named
it "Sanford" after a prominent Knoxville family. This small com-
munity was also the home of a large business in the production
and shipment or railroad ties. Meanwhile, by the early part of
the twentieth century, the names of Bolen, Henry, and McAlister
had become important in Calhoun business circles. Dr. H. F.
Taylor, who served a good deal of the county from his office
in Calhoun, cannot be omitted.

The names of Bishop, Erickson, Oliphant, Parkinson, Porter,
Swafford, and Womac came to be of lasting important in Rice-
ville. The remains of the old Porter house (recently gutted by
fire) still stand south of Riceville on U.S. Highway 11. Charlie
Miller restored the house and used the land to develop one of
the largest pedigreed Angus cattle farms in the state.

Charles Rice, founder of the town, organized a train of 50
wagons and moved to Arkansas in 1859. C. W Oliphant clerked
in the store that Rice sold to a relative, and later established his
own mercantile business before selling out to J. M. Lockmiller
and becoming a famed salesman. Dan Roberts became an im-
portant business figure after expanding a drugstore into a gen-
eral merchandise enterprise in 1897. Ben Bishop had a wagon
shop in the earliest times and was assisted by Charlie and Dave

68

Tennessee County History Series

Dr. J. A. Parkinson of Riceville in 1900. Note the produce on his wagon
which he has received as payment.

Boyd, the latter a well-known blacksmith for over 65 years. Charlie
Boyd gained fame as an inventor of a variety of tools and ma-
chines. Bill Vaughn operated a tanyard, and his son, along with
the Vincent family, gained a name for creating fine furniture.

Although relatively small since its incorporation in 191 1, with
H. A. Collins as the first chairman of the city commission, Niota
has always been considered a well-established and progressive
town. The persons who have come to be of significant influence
in the Niota community since the turn of the century have inev-
itably risen to places of importance in the county and, in fact, in
the state as a whole.

Niota began as a station of the ET&G Railroad before the
Civil War, known as Mouse Creek. H. L. Schultz developed a
community by selling building lots. The first industry of any con-
sequence was a tanyard started by Eli Dixon, Jr. The "Tan Yard"
changed hands until 1879 when it became the property of
Samuel P. Blair. By this time, the community had grown and

McMINN 69

.--rTH^ttttttHttttt'tttHt^lP^i-iUtt--'

The Mouse Creek/Niota depot in 1905. Pictured here, from left, are
H. B. Burn; J. L. (Jack) Burn; W. A. Burn; J. L. (Jim) Burn, Depot
Agent; James P. Lewis; and John I. Forrest (on horse).

boasted of one of the best-known educational institutions in
the area, Mouse Creek Academy.

Blair is also remembered for his aid in establishing the Cum-
berland Presbyterian Church in Niota. The casting of a church
bell was always significant, and Blair, with three others, paid for
this undertaking. The names of the "Four Bs"were inscribed on
the bell: Blair, Brock, Buttram, and Burnes. It is ironic, given
the important role that the Burn family played in the history of
the community, that the bell makers incorrectly spelled their name
on this artifact that now hangs in the Methodist Church steeple.

Unfortunately, Blair eventually experienced financial disas-
ter. In 1913, in a foreclosure sale, most of his Niota holdings were
bought by James L. Burn and W. F. Forrest for the Crescent Ho-
siery Mill which they had organized to give employment to mem-
bers of the growing community.

The Crescent mill became a central fixture of the community.

70 Tennessee County Histoiy Series

The first stockholders included several members of the Burn
family, Forrest, J. C. Gate, T.J. Isbell, and H. M. and R. S. Will-
son. H. M. Willson became the first president and J. L. Burn was
the vice-president. W. L. Forrest managed it until the 1930s. In
later years Hugh Willson, grandson of H. M. Willson, became
the head of the Citizens National Bank, a thriving institution in
the county. The Forrest family name was carried on by the
J. Ben Forrest Hardware and Furniture Company. The family
of the first city commission chairman, H. A. Collins, became in-
volved in a successful feedstore and the advancement of edu-
cation in the community.

The other central fixture in the community's growth and de-
velopment has been the Bank of Niota. In fact, Dun andBradstreet
(1920) described the village as "a banking town." The bank was
organized the same year that the town was incorporated.
J. L. Burn served as the first president and H. M. Willson was
the vice-president. C. B. Staley became cashier in 1913 and re-
mained with the bank until his death in 1971.

Niota provides a good example of one aspect of the devel-
opment of many communities throughout the nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries — fires. Because of the lack of water sys-
tems, it was not uncommon for fires to destroy important build-
ings and to devastate entire towns. Niota seems to have had more
than its share. The entire business section burned in 1897, an-
other fire destroyed a major business in 1910, and a section of
the business district was again destroyed in the late 1920s. As late
as 1966, fire continued to play havoc with the town when its ma-
jor industry, Crescent Mill, burned.

Athens experienced the same disasters time and again. Many
citizens can recall the Red Elephant Fire, the first high school
fire in the late 1940s, the loss of the original Keith Memorial
Methodist Church, the second high school fire in the 1950s, and
the burning of the beautifully restored and meticulously re-
modeled county court house in 1964.

To return to Niota, the way that its name was determined is
intriguing. Originally called "Mouse Creek," there was continual

McMINN

71

The county courthouse after its remodeling and before it was de-
stroyed by fire

confusion of mail and freight with a "Mossy Creek," present-day
Jefferson City. When ice cream for a local celebration ended up
melting on the loading dock at Mossy Creek something had to
be done. According to James Burn, a local railroad agent had
suggested "Movilla" since the Morse code station call letter "MO"
would not have to be changed. Several local citizens sent their
ideas to the railroad superintendent; John Boggess's suggestion
was included just as the train to carry the dispatch envelope ar-
rived. Boggess's suggestion of Niota, which was supposedly the
name of an Indian chief in a novel he was reading, was selected.
Burn also recalls that the original pronunciation was "Nee-o-tah."
Niota became the social center for the entire county with the
establishment of Springbrook Golf and County Club which, for
many years, was the only facility of its sort in the area. The coun-
try club has continued to be the center of the social and recre-

Tennessee County History Series

The Etowah YMCA Building as it stood in the early 1900s to welcome
the influx of railroaders

ational activities of the county's business, professional, and political
leaders.

Etowah came into existence because of the L&N Railroad.
The railroad at first had tried to purchase lands for major shops
and a terminal at both Tellico Junction and Wetmore but, failing
to do so, it ultimately bought nearly 1500 acres from the farms
of Joseph Cobb, James L. Cooper, William Paris, William T. Peck,
Robert Reynolds, and Robert Smith for $20 per acre. News of
the creation of a new town immediately brought an influx of
businessmen from all over the South. Soon the whole area was
alive with activity; by April 8, 1909, when the town was chartered,
it had officially taken up the railroad construction crew's name
of "Etowah" (meaning "muddy waters").

The town was laid out in a grid pattern with avenues named
for states running north and south, and numbered streets run-
ning at right angles to them. The first construction became Ten-
nessee Avenue and this thoroughfare, joined with U.S. Highway

McMINN

73

Tennessee Avenue in Etowah immediately after the L&N established
the town. The arrow designated the famed "Blue Front."

411, has become the main business district. The first businesses
were established to take care of the construction crews and later
railroad workers. John Rains put up a small shanty near the new
tracks which served as both a store and Etowah's first post office.
J.N. Lewis, who had operated a store at Grady three miles north
on the L&N, moved to Etowah with the new tracks and became
a leading businessman. The Etowah Enterprise, an excellent pub-
lication later edited by Frank McKinney, was first published on
January 5, 1907.

The first major businesses that involved large-scale construc-
tion were the hotel-boarding houses that sprang up throughout
the town — the Ownbey Boarding House, the Carlock Hotel, the
Risk Hotel, the Glenora Hotel (named for Glen Froneberger and
Ora Nichols, daughters of the first owners), the Hotel Stafford,
the Mountain View Hotel, and the Tennessee Hotel. The Hotel
Stafford outlasted all the others. The L&N YMCA was a land-
mark from 1908 until 1929; it was the site of all kinds of com-

74 Tennessee County History Series

munity affairs from town meetings to evangelistic rallies. The
Glenora Hotel was distinguished because of its cigar factory.
"Glenora Cigars" were made by N. G. Dixon.

The first general store was opened by Lewis' partner, O. L.
Davis, and was followed by similar stores run by E. A. Adams,
McKinney Brothers, M. M. and H. H. Miller, Reed Brothers, and
H. D. Rule and Company. AJ. C. Penney Company store came
later. A store called "The Blue Front" became one of the best
known locations in the city. It was an extremely important meet-
ing place for the community, and several churches and fraternal
groups were organized and met there.

Other early businesses included: a furniture store, Sterchi
Brothers and Tillery, which arose from the partnership of the
Knoxville-based furniture company and J. M. Tillery; Carl Cen-
ter and N. C. Powell's hardware store; O. A. Rule Furniture
Company; and Cunningham and Watts Livery. Hugh Manning
established the Gem Theatre (later the Martin) in 1918, and stayed
to become one of the leading citizens in the town's early history.

P. A. Kinser opened the first drugstore in Etowah, which later
became Gem Drugs, Charles E. McConkey moved from Monroe
County in 1908 to organize Etowah Drugs, and B. M. Tallent
Drugs opened in 1923. Frank Rutledge came to town in 1909
from Tullahoma to work in the Etowah Bank and Trust Com-
pany; he later established an insurance company and the Etowah
Water and Light Company. Alex Adams and his son, Stacy, opened
an early men's store.

Lawmen were also needed, and following S. H. Vandivere,
who was known as the "town marshall," several law officers have
become noteworthy. Foremost among these are Burch E. Biggs,
who also became an influential political figure in the history of
Polk County, and C. O. (Bull) Kennedy. Otto Kennedy, his brother,
also became a well-known law officer.

Hardly any business could have taken better advantage of a
"boom town" environment than a lumber company. R. L. Tucker
established the Etowah Lumber Company in 1910, which was
later sold to the Cantrells, helping to make them one of the most
influential families in town. Their banking and political inter-

McMINN 75

ests, particularly those of Paul Cantrell, lent them particular
importance.

Because of the sudden influx of railroaders and business-
men, Free Masonry played an important role in the town. By the
late 1920s, there were more than half a dozen Masonic bodies
and an extremely active chapter of the Order of Eastern Star. At
one time Etowah had the largest Masonic membership for a town
of its size in the entire nation. M. L. Bryan served as the first
worshipful master of the Etowah lodge, and Retta Bryan, his
wife, was the first worthy matron of the Order of Eastern Star.

A number of well-known names in Etowah's history have been
those of attorneys. The first permanent lawyer was Eugene Ivins
who was the first city attorney. The Ivins' name has long been
important, with Dan Ivins having served as town recorder for
many years. D. W. Lillard, a hero of World War I, came from
Decatur to practice for several years. Donald Todd, who would
ultimately establish Green Hill Cemetery, came to the city in 1910
to practice law.

A large number of local youngsters became attorneys and
established their practices in the city. These included Shields
Cagle, William M. Dender, Sam Gilreath, C. B. Stanberry, Amzy
Steed (who later became general counsel for the Texaco Oil Cor-
poration), and Knox and Nell Williams. Cousins Ralph Duggan
and Tom Taylor established practices in Athens and both became
important following World War II.

Two of the first physicians in Etowah were W R. Froneberger
and J. O. Nichols. They were keen businessmen and, in addition
to their medical practice, each established a drugstore — the Gem
and Rexall respectively — and jointly established a hotel. Other
early physicians were H. E. Center, E. M. Foreman, and Olin
Rogers. Early dentists were E. M. Akins, G. L. Keith, W S. Moore,
and L. C. Ogle. W R. Anderson and E. R. Battle later came to
town and practiced for many years.

Not until 1929 did Etowah get its first hospital. Dr. R E.
Parker from Sweetwater built a two-story hospital on Fifth
Street which did well until the Depression when it closed. Dr.
Spenser McClary, who had moved his practice to Etowah in

76 Tennessee County History Series

1925, reopened the hospital in 1935. He and his son, Boyd,
operated it until the beginning of World War II when Boyd
entered the service and his father died.

Upon his return from the war Boyd McClary, with Homer
Johnson and others, began to seek funds for a modern hospital
in Etowah. Their dream and dedicated work finally were suc-
cessful in 1965 when the Hill-Burton Act funded the construc-
tion of the Woods Memorial Hospital. The hospital was named
for the parents of George Woods, a local political leader who had
been instrumental in procuring the funds that were finally
approved for the building project.

One important community landmark is the city library. The
Carnegie Foundation offered grants before the second world
war for the establishment of free public libraries in new com-
munities such as Etowah. A group of citizens including T A. Ab-
ner, A. B. Bayless, C. D. Bevan, N. Z. Dewees,John M.Johnson,
and Haywood York obtained a grant that resulted in Etowah's
having the only Carnegie Library in southeast Tennessee. Until
1922, while a new educational plant was being constructed, the
local high school held classes in the library.

In many respects, Etowah is still a young town, not yet close
to a centennial celebration. Many of the old buildings that or-
ginally constituted the business district still stand, and there seems
to be a community spirit of preservation that has been lacking
elsewhere in the county. Many beautiful homes still stand along
tree-lined avenues — sometimes like a scene from some idealized
past. One can only imagine what Etowah might have been like
today had the Depression not occurred and the L&N not de-
cided against reequipping the wood-car repair shops to repair
metal cars.

The Black Community

Unfortunately not much attention has been paid to the de-
velopment of the black community in the county and much in-
formation has been lost. While that which is recalled here is
certainly incomplete, it is fortunate that a central figure of the

McMINN 77

black community of the county, Professor W. E. Nash, was still
alive at the time of this writing. Not only are Professor Nash's
recollections an important source of historical information, but
his own life story is a high light of the county's history.

Nash was born in Lunenburg County, Virginia in 1887; by
the time he was eight he had been hired out by his mother as a
waterboy carrying water to field hands working on large farms.
The first year that he worked he earned his food and a few clothes;
the second year, he earned $9 and $12 the third. By the time he
was sixteen, he was earning $40 a year, and had begun to drive
freight wagons.

Nash had always had a desire, encouraged by his mother, to
get an education. Undaunted by what many might consider a
late start, he left home in 1905 with $11 and two pairs of pants,
walked 20 miles to Chase City, Virginia, and entered school.
Working at whatever jobs were available, he completed high school
when he was 27. He returned to his home where a group of
parents and community leaders agreed to start a private school
with Nash as the teacher. Each of the 50 students paid 50^ a
month — at that time, $25 a month was good pay for a teacher
in many areas.

In less than a year, a local Presbyterian group decided that it
would be a good idea to grant a scholarship to some deserving
youth to attend Knoxville College, and chose Nash. He sold a
tobacco crop and a calf, and with his belongings carried in a small
"telescope" case, set out for Knoxville. There he worked on cam-
pus helping tutor the younger students. He was so valuable to
the college that when the U.S. entered World War I the president
of the institution got him exempted from the draft to stay at the
school and work. In 1921, following his graduation, Nash came
to Athens to be assistant to J. L. Cook at the Athens Academy.
Nash knew Booker T. Washington personally, having met him
at religious and educational functions, and was greatly influ-
enced by him.

When Nash arrived, there were black persons in their 80s
and 90s who had been among the first to come to the county.
Blacks had originally come into the county either with the set-

78 Tennessee County History Series

tiers, or as a result of being purchased at "slave sales" up until
the time of the Civil War. By the 1800s, few — if any — slaves came
to this immediate area directly from Africa. Virginia had come
to be known as the "slave breeding ground," and most major
cities in that state had periodic sales in which the slaves were
sold at auction.

The slaveowners usually attended the auctions together, and
marched the slaves back to their new homes in groups. East Ten-
nessee was a major route south toward Atlanta. If someone be-
came ill or could not make the full trip, he would be sold, traded,
or given away along the route. In this way, less affluent people
might acquire one or two slaves across several years. "Slaves" in
this situation simply meant an additional hand to work beside
the slaveowners in their fields and mills. The huge sprawl of cot-
ton fields, with hundreds of field hands and their overseers spread
out across a vast acreage, was unknown in McMinn County. At
the height of slavery, there were only a small number of persons
in the county owning more than half a dozen slaves.

Nash stressed that, the general cruelties of the slavery period
notwithstanding, the stories he had heard indicated that rela-
tions between the races were peaceful and harmonious most of
the time. People were respected for the quality of their work —
a hard worker who was trustworthy and dependable was con-
sidered a useful member of the community regardless of color.
Slothfulness of any color was, on the other hand, despised.
Throughout the middle 1900s an environment was being cre-
ated that would allow for movement towards equality in the 1960s.

Four of the best-known black citizens who were still alive in
the early 1920s were Rose Baker, Isaac Matlock, George Gettys,
and William Keith. As the names suggest, the freed slaves as-
sumed the surnames of their former masters, and thus the same
names are handed down in the black community that are found
in the white community. The names were typically preceded by
the respectful designations "Aunt" and "Uncle" which came to be
scorned by later generations. Mrs. Baker had been a slave; she
was an active community leader and one of the first members
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Freedmans Chapel).

McMINN 79

Matlock was known for his gardening abilities; Keith was a dray-
man delivering freight from the Southern depot.

Another old citizen was Pat Spriggs, who gained some degree
of notoriety because of an event that had occurred during the
Civil War Spriggs, like several other young black men from the
area, served in Shermans army, campaigned in East Tennessee,
and participated in the "March to the Sea." One night near At-
lanta, the cry arose about two in the morning that camp must be
broken and a forced march immediately begun. In his haste,
Spriggs did not have time to pull on his socks. Evidently a morn-
ing of marching and a day of fighting without socks left a deep
impression, for until he died in 1930, Spriggs never slept a single
night without wearing his socks.

Finally, in this early period, mention should be made of Bart
Arnwine. Arnwine had three trademarks — a broad sense of hu-
mor, a shining, double-bladed ax, and the reputation of being
able to thresh more wheat in one day than anyone in the county.
Like several of these memorable people, Arnwine lived to be over
100 years old.

Nash recalled many blacks who made important contribu-
tions between 1921 and 1953, when he was involved in the coun-
ty's educational system. C. H. Wilson, the last principal of the
Athens Academy, was for 50 years the minister of the United
Presbyterian Church. Walt Dotson operated the first black fu-
neral establishment and was an active Mason in the highly thought
of Black Masonic Order in Athens. Bill Scheeler was a railroad
man and a minister. Reuben Scheeler, for nine years a teacher
at Cook High School, went on to West Virginia State, Alabama
State, and Southern University. He later worked with immigra-
tion officials in Texas.

Brice Buchanan was active in political, civic, and church af-
fairs, and for many years was the much-beloved janitor at McMinn
County High School. For many students across the years his desk
in the basement boiler room was a place of genuine friendliness,
advice, and mutual respect that knew no racial lines.

Burkett Witt was also active in a broad spectrum of com-
munity concerns. He became popular as a chef operating var-

80 Tennessee County History Series

ions establishments in Athens and the surrounding area beginning
in the early 1950s. He then became active in community politics,
serving several terms as city councilman. In 1983 he was elected
mayor of Athens, the first black person to serve in such a capacity
in the entire region.

Nash also remembered the efforts of Arthur Fergerson, Sr,
an AME minister; Teresa Wilson, a loving teacher; and Horace
King, who was a mathematical genius, a meteorological specialist
for the government in World War II, and a successful textbook
author and professor at Riverside, California, Junior College.

Professor Nash's recollections of notable blacks can be rein-
forced by others mentioned by J. M. Sharp. In addition to George
Gettys, James Gettys owned a second slave named Uncle Nelse.
W' hen James Gettys fell on hard times, he was forced to sell Nelse.
He was purchased by the Reverend Edwin Atlee, who did not
believe in slavery, but was a friend of Gettys. Atlee immediately
arranged a job going through the area buying poultry and eggs
so that Nelse could buy his freedom.

On one trip into Rhea County Nelse was brought to the sher-
iff to be whipped because "he was too big for a negro. "The sher-
iff, a man named Allen, resigned his position instead of whipping
the kindly gentleman. A local minister stepped in and carried
out the task. Although the Civil War came before the debt was
paid, Nelse stayed with Atlee until it was paid in full. He later,
with his wife, was responsible for taking in and raising the or-
phan boy, J.L. (Jake) Cook.

Sharp also mentions the following persons: Berry and Tish
Isbell; the Reverend Amos Jackson, whose favorite saying was
"I had a kind master (R. C.Jackson), but I love my freedom — if
I forget thee, O Republican Party, let my tongue cleave to the
roof of my mouth and my right hand forget her cunning"; the
Reverend Jacob Armstrong who was popular in both black and
white camp meetings; Roger Sherman, a mechanic; George
Henderson, a bricklayer; Peter Wilds and Dick Branum, dray-
men; and Will Matlock and Albert Evans, barbers.

The key figure of the period after 1953 for the entire black
community was Harper Johnson who was born near Riceville,

McMINN 81

and with his family moved to Athens in the 1920s. He attended
the J. L. Cook High School, where he distinguished himself in
the classroom and on the athletic field. Upon graduation, he at-
tended Morris town Junior College, and then returned to teach
in the black schools of Etowah for twelve years. During this time,
Johnson completed his education and returned to Cook High as
a teacher and coach. In 1953, when Professor Nash retired, he
became principal.

In many respects, Harper Johnson represented a mentality
that was beginning to come of age, a new consciousness of hu-
man dignity that was arising among black persons across the South.
Until integration occurred in the mid-1960s, Johnson was an un-
compromising voice calling for equality and justice. His students
must have new textbooks and new desks, just like the white stu-
dents. He was a reasonable man who desired to bring about in-
tegration in a way that would insure a common foundation on
which to build after the dramatic changes that would have to
occur had taken place. Johnson became to his generation of stu-
dents, as Nash had been to the preceding one, the model who
would challenge young blacks to strive for only the highest that
their lives could attain. He was in every way an uncommon man
for an uncommon time, and the respect that was necessary for
integration to work beyond just the surface changes that the law
demanded was generated by his decisiveness and leadership.

Johnson moved to Nashville in the late 1960s where he worked
for the Tennessee Education Association. To honor him, the TEA
began to give the E. Harper Johnson Human Relations Award.
Significantly, two of these awards have been presented to McMinn
Countians — the first, to Professor Nash, and the second to J. Neal
Ensminger, the executive editor of The Daily Post- Athenian. Har-
per Johnson's influence on every aspect of life in the county is
high. He will always be considered one of the "shapers" of the
county's destiny. He died in 1982.

Professor Nash concluded his reminiscences by giving atten-
tion to his thoughts for the future of the black community of the
county. He was quick with a response that was undoubtedly al-
ready well-formed in his mind: "If the young people can con-

82 Tennessee County History Series

tinuc to have ambition and some goal, and do not begin to have
an inferiority complex, the future will be bright." One wonders
if these sentiments might not apply to the entire county as it moves
into a future where its special uniqueness competes with a much
larger and much more complex "global village." To touch base
with some old sources of wisdom is both refreshing and hopeful.

Religion

A general overview of American religious history can be given
quickly. Following the Revolutionary War and the expansion be-
yond the Appalachians, religion moved immediately to the new
frontier. With this movement, the character of religion in Amer-
ica underwent a drastic change. Instead of the staid, intellectual
approach that had characterized religion on the eastern sea-
board, the religion of the new frontier was charged with the same
highly emotional spirit that paralleled the adventuresome pi-
oneer mentality and the daring that transformed the old wil-
derness areas. By 1800 a revivalist movement was in full swing.
Through two "Great Awakenings" and across the better part of
two centuries, in many respects, the county's religious prefer-
ences have changed very little.

McMinn County was in the heart of the revival movement.
Throughout the early period the county was a central place for
the first camp meetings and "brush arbors" in southeastern Ten-
nessee that gave the great revivals, and flaming tongued orators
who stood in their midst, their memorable flavor.

The first denomination to come to the frontier were the Pres-
byterians. They were the strongest group on the seaboard and
worked from a well-established organization. However, there were
immediate problems. The Presbyterians believed in Calvinist
doctrines of predestination and placed little or no emphasis on
the free will of the human being. But the frontier character had
been forged in the caldron of human will, leading to a conflict
too great for the old traditions to bear. A major split within the
denomination produced the "Cumberland Presbyterians" who

McMINN 83

softened the old Calvinism. This new group grew significantly
and was well-represented in the county.

The Baptist movement into the area followed on the heels
of the first revival activities. The Baptists succeeded quickly and
got off to a much better start than the Presbyterians for at least
three reasons. First, they were not bound by old traditions, and
second, they had a theology that stressed free will. Finally, they
had ministers who were close to the people, typically being lay
persons who felt "called to preach" and performed ministerial
activities in addition to their regular work.

Unfortunately, the Baptists soon became hamstrung on the-
ological issues. Early in the 1800s, the "Landmarkism" contro-
versy erupted over the belief that certain biblical "landmarks"
were being compromised by theological liberals. Then, in the
late 1840s, disagreement over the slavery question fostered a split
that divided the Baptist faith in the United States into the South-
ern and American Baptist Conventions. Since that time all Bap-
tist congregations in the county, with the exception of random
"independent" Baptist groups which have appeared from time
to time, have belonged to the Southern Baptist Convention.

The most successful early religious activitites were Method-
ist. The "circuit riders" were trained in the scriptures, well-dis-
ciplined as a group, and unbelievably energetic in covering the
wide countryside. The Methodists, having established struc-
tured conferences to provide direction and supervision, were
also well-organized.

It was not until the Civil War period that divisions led to the
organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Every
one of the Holston Conference ministers agreed with the "Plan
of Separation," and thus any divisions were held at a minimum.
Many of the political and social leaders of the eastern part of the
state, like "Parson" Brownlow, were Methodist. The divisions
elsewhere which created groups like the Republican Methodist
Church, the Wesleyan Connection, and the Methodist Protestant
Church were of little consequence in McMinn County.

Although the real strength of Methodism may be in the
northern part of the Holston Conference between Knoxville and

84 Tennessee County History Series

southwestern Virginia, the impact on McMinn County has been
immense. This has been especially true because of the presence
of Tennessee Wesleyan College and Hiwassee College in nearby
Madison ville. Families of every denomination have been touched
bv these schools, and their graduates have typically become the
leading citizens of the communities in the area.

Limitations of time and space preclude lengthy accounts of
the churches in the county. All are distinctive and became the
focal points of town and country life. What will be given here is,
at best, a representative sketch of some of the earliest churches
which have continuous histories into the present.

The first religious experiences in the county were the old
camp meetings which grew out of the great revivals. The most
important of these were located at Cedar Springs, Spring Creek,
and South Liberty. People came from great distances and spent
a few days or weeks studying and worshipping — and socializ-
ing — in the highly spiritualized atmosphere of the camps.

The first church to be organized in the county was the Cal-
houn Methodist Church in 1819. It was also the first church in
the Cleveland District of the Holston Conference. The old church
building stood as a historical landmark until the late 1960s. Its
remaining graveyard is, beyond doubt, the most intriguing in
the county. An early attempt to establish a Presbyterian Church
at Calhoun was short-lived in spite of the assistance of Governor
Joseph McMinn. A Baptist Church was established in 1874.

There is some debate as to which was the next church to be
organized. More than likely that honor belongs to what was called
"The Baptist Church of Christ at BigSprings on the Little Mouse
Creek." This was in 1822, and like most of the churches in the
county, it was organized in a home — that of Elijah Hurst. One
of the charter members was Jacob Womac, a leader of the Wa-
tauga Association, the political ancestor of the state of Tennes-
see. Another charter member was Isaac Lane, who had fought
at King's Mountain and brought a large family to live in the Mouse
Creek area. This church was closed about the time of the Civil
War. In 1885 some former members established the Mouse Creek

McMINN

85

Mars Hill Presby-
terian Church in
Athens

Baptist Church. Eventually, the name was changed to the First
Baptist Church of Niota.

The Zion Hill Baptist Church was also organized in 1822.
Although it is a small rural church today, in that period it was of
great importance. Many churches in the county grew out of Zion
Hill, not the least of which was First Baptist in Athens. Several
of the most important Baptist ministers in the county's early his-
tory were associated with Zion Hill and its parent church, Ches-
tua Baptist in Monroe County, including Daniel Buckner who
was named for his fathers close friend Daniel Boone, Thomas
and James Russell, and J. P. Kefauver, grandfather of Estes
Kefauver.

The oldest church in Athens is the Mars Hill Presbyterian
Church, which was organized in 1823. Among the first members
were the Andersons, Breazeales, Bridges, Dixsons, Gettys, Jack-
sons, Keys, McKeldins, Neils, Popes, Reids, and Wilsons. During
the Civil War the church separated from the Northern Presby-
tery and even allowed its minister to serve the Southern cause
as a chaplain. The structure itself, originally built by the Cleages,
has been rebuilt, remodeled, and survived fire to become one of
the most beautiful buildings in the county.

In 1824 the First Baptist Church was formed. Its original
building was a log structure made available by a local physician
and located on the site of the present Cedar Grove Cemetery.

86 Tennessee County History Series

In 1889 the congregation erected a new building near the right
front of the present structure. In 1941 Charles Stephen Bond
led in a building project at the present site, where the home of
R. J. Fisher had been located. Under the leadership of R. Rich-
ard Smith, the present sanctuary was completed in 1967. For
many years this has been the largest church in the county. The
First Baptist Church established three missions that later became
important churches in their own right: East Athens Baptist Church
in the Morningside community, West End Baptist Church in the
Layman Hill area, and Central Baptist Church in the Avalon
Heights section.

In 1825 the Methodist Episcopal Church was established on
property across Washington Avenue from the present site of
Foree Clinic; the designation "South" was added on the eve
of the Civil War. In 1829 Brownlow was the minister. A second
building was in use from 1851 until 1878, when one of the most
beautiful churches in the region was built. On Christmas night,
1947, one of the most spectacular fires in the city's history com-
pletely destroyed this building, which had been named "Keith
Memorial" in 1939. The congregation met in the local high
school for two years, constructed the present building, and has
enjoyed steady growth ever since.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church began services in 1834. The graceful
lines of the present building on South Jackson Street serve as a
fitting tribute to the devotion of the typically small congregations
that have kept the Episcopalian faith alive in the county.

The present Trinity Methodist Church, whose members held
primarily Northern sympathies, was not formed until after the
Civil War in 1865. Originally named the First Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and after worshipping at several locations, the
growing congregation entered the present structure in 1910; the
site had been the well-known Foster's Livery Stable. The church
has been closely associated with the life of Tennessee Wesleyan
College over the years. A building on campus memorializes two
of its ministers, John Petty and John Manker. The most famous
minister was Nathaniel Green Taylor, who served at one time

McMINN 87

in the United States House of Representatives. His two sons,
Robert Love and Alfred A., became governors of the state.

The Taylor story is one of the most famous in Tennessee his-
tory. Bob was a Democrat and Alfa Republican. Since they were
"roses from the same garden, "their campaign came to be known,
with reference to the old feud between the houses of York and
Lancaster, as "The War of the Roses." The mens humor, skilled
oratory, and musical ability turned out campaign crowds num-
bering in the tens of thousands. Bobs campaign song was "Dixie"
and Alf's "Yankee Doodle." Bob won by a narrow majority, even-
tually served three terms, and went on to be a senator and a
representative. Alf then served one term as governor, and three
as congressman. Before their deaths, they toured the nation ap-
pearing before large audiences as "Yankee Doodle and Dixie."

In 1872, as part of the Brient development northeast of Ath-
ens, a church was established at Happy Top. With most of the
enterprises of that community, it moved to Tellico Junction in
1893, and was known until 1909 as the Cross Grove Baptist Church.
At that time the name of the community was changed to Engle-
wood, and the church became the First Baptist Church. The
Methodist Church in Englewood was organized in 1902. One
name prominent at this time, which appears time and again in
the early organizational activities of many churches in the county,
is that of J. R. Land.

The First United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., which stands
on North Jackson Street, across from the Tennessee Wesleyan
campus, was erected in 1892. The old church and manse next
door stand much as they did in 1902. The church had been es-
tablished in 1889 by a local man who had returned to Athens
after receiving an excellent education. J. L. ("Jake") Cook— with
the exception of W E. Nash and Harper Johnson — is the best-
known and most influential black person in the county's history.
The present pastor, Charles Johnson, who has held this position
since 1966, is the longest standing member of the present clergy
in the county and is a prominent black leader.

Cook's parents had been slaves of one of the earliest settlers,
Judge J. B. Cooke, but died when Jake was a young child. He

88 Tennessee County History Series

was raised bv "Uncle Nelse" and "Aunt Huldy" Gettys who had
been slaves for the Gettys family. He was an avid student, and
from the public schools he went on to Fisk University and then
Knoxville College where he graduated in 1888. He then grad-
uated from Alleghany Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania,
and returned in 1891 to establish the "Academy of Athens. "This
school quickly gained recognition as one of the best black schools
in the South.

Cook was the only black at the national convention of the
Presbyterian Church in Omaha in 1898. His talk was described
in a publication of that day, The Christian Instructor, as "the bright-
est and most popular address delivered before the Assem-
bly.... Mr Cook is the best possible object lesson of the value of
the work being done by the Board of Missions to the Freedmen."

Cook continued in Athens as head of the academy and min-
ister of the church until 1900 when he became president of Hen-
derson Institute in Henderson, North Carolina. Through the
mid-sixties Cook High School commemorated this teacher.

Most of the churches in Etowah started about the same time
that the town was established in 1906. There had been churches
in the surrounding area, and the old Cane Creek campground
operated by the Methodists was nearby. There was a great deal
of competition among young suitors at Foster s Livery Stable for
buggies and teams to drive to the camp meetings. Near the area
that became Etowah was Crittenden Fork Baptist Church, later
called Goodsprings. It was organized in 1872 and has always been
one of the strongest rural churches in the county. The Coghill
Baptist Church was organized even earlier, in 1860, south of the
Etowah area near the present Polk County line. The first min-
ister, E. C. Denton, served the church for 25 years. The church
was one of the first before 1900 to begin the process of "mission"
efforts to start new churches by organizing the Wetmore Baptist
Church at Wetmore Station.

The Wesleyanna Methodist Church was organized in 1861.
In its long history, the church has been served by over 70 min-
isters, 38 of whom have gone on to become bishops.

McMINN

89

LlVEfi/ -STABLE.

The Foster Livery Stable about 1910,
now stands

here Trinity Methodist Church

The oldest congregation in Etowah is the present Wesley
Memorial Methodist Church. It was formerly the Tenth Street
Methodist Church, and before that the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. It was instituted in 1906 and was the only church
building in Etowah for over a year; many of the other congre-
gations in town met in this building or at the old "Blue Front"
on Tennessee Avenue.

Three of the main churches in Etowah today started in 1907-
1908, and each met for some time at the "Blue Front." The First
Baptist Church showed the largest growth, and by 1919 had one
of the largest Sunday schools in all of East Tennessee. Among
the charter members were names that come down to the pres-
ent — Cantrell, Creasman, Riggs, Roylston, Tillery, and Williams.
W H. Runion was the first minister, and for several years there
was a series of building projects. Under the 11-year pastorate of
Dr. A. F. Mahan the church membership grew to over 1000. In
later years, E. M. Holt led the church to great success, and today

90 Tennessee County History Series

the newly constructed sanctuary is one of the most beautiful in
the county.

St. Pauls was the third Methodist Church to be formed in
Etowah. For 19 years the members worshipped on Pennsylvania
Avenue. J. W. May was the first minister, and among the early
members were M. L. Bryan, D. H. Day, Charlie Hutsell, John
Reed, and Oran Reed. In 1926 the congregation moved to the
Georgia Avenue and Eighth Street site. Mars Hill Methodist
Church (built on a hill property owned by Benny Mars) was
organized in 1906.

The First Presbyterian Church was organized in June 1908.
The charter members were J. A. Fowler, Mrs. Horace Green,
P. A. Kinser, G. D. Pate, Mrs. D. M. Pearson, W. C. Reynolds,
and Charles Wagner.

Important information remains that could fill many vol-
umes, but space limitations here are severe. Men such as Dillard
Brown and Henry Stamey came out of Clearwater Baptist to be-
come well-known leaders. Women such as Gussie Rose List lov-
ingly taught a whole generation of Athenians to sing, and Mrs.
Ruth Sharps Sunday school class grew into Allen Memorial
Methodist Church. Mount Harmony Baptist Church in 1947 was
acknowledged as the most outstanding rural church in the state.
Jesse Dodson had a long and influential pastorate at Eastanallee
Baptist. Liberty Hill Church of Christ was used during the Civil
War as a "pest house" for soldiers with contagious diseases.
Churches have a place of honor in the county's history.

Education

Education has always been a central concern in the county.
The first educational institutions were mission schools for the
Indians which were provided by various religious organizations
with the ostensive purpose of education, but perhaps primarily
concerned with evangelism. The Indians did not particularly care
for the religion of the whites, but they appreciated educational
opportunity sometimes even more than the majority of the first
pioneers who gave priority to the children helping with the work

McMINN 91

in the new settlement. The mission to the Cherokees enjoyed
great success until the time of the removal.

The Methodists established a school called "The Conasauga
Mission," while a Presbyterian group operating from Maryville
under a pioneer missionary named Gideon Blackburn started a
school at Walker's Ferry. Return Meigs, the capable Indian agent
for the area, did a great deal to advance education among those
under his charge, and in later years served on the board of trust-
ees for Forest Hill Academy.

Frontier children learned the "three Rs"at their mothers' knees.
As the settlers prospered the more affluent employed young men
with college backgrounds to tutor their children; educated min-
isters also served as teachers. Frequently the children of less
fortunate neighbors were invited to join the educational activ-
ities. As early as 1805, for example, there are records of George
Barber Davis who taught for the John Rogers' family at Rogers'
Creek. Davis later moved to the mission school at Walker's Ferry.

Beginning about 1823 at least two specific types of educa-
tional institutions appeared in the county. First, there were pri-
vate schools called "academies." Then, to a lesser extent, there
were the first instances of public, or "free," education. In addi-
tion, itinerant teachers travelled the countryside establishing
"schools" in private dwellings or renting space for various lengths
of time from a few weeks to several months.

The "academies" were an intriguing educational enterprise.
They were typically secondary schools, but might also cover
everything from primary level work to seminary training. Hi-
wassee Academy in Calhoun was the first in the county. It opened
around 1823. Later, it was known as Hiwassee Masonic Institu-
tion and, by as late as 1874, had nearly 100 students.

In Athens, the Forest Hill Academy was established in 1825,
and it has only been in the most recent years, with the establish-
ment of Westside Elementary School, that the name Forest Hill has
not been associated with education in the county. The large Cane
Creek Academy or Seminary kept alive the memories of the old
Cane Creek Methodist Campground until the middle 1800s.

92

¥

Tennessee County History Series

The Forest Hill Academy in 1907

In 1857 three important academies were established. In Rice-
ville, John Biggs and Mollie Porter opened the Riceville Acad-
emy. Ten years later the school was rechartered as the Riceville
Scientific and Classical Institute. Dr. N. B. Goforth led the school
to excellence. He established monthly public oral examinations,
and large crowds would gather to hear the students (often termed
"scholars" in the old records) perform. Dr. Goforth left Riceville
around 1877 to go to Mossy Creek — present-day Jefferson City —
to help establish Newman Female College and to marry the
daughter of its founder. This school later became Carson-New-
man College.

Two other academies were started this same year in Mouse
Creek (Niota). Because of a conflict over location, one came to
be known as Mouse Creek Male and Female Academy, and the
other as Fountain Hill Academy. By 1881 A. W. Weeks had es-
tablished Mount Harmony Select School for Males and Females
three miles outside of Mouse Creek. An advertisement from that
time emphasized the importance of the location "in the beautiful
and healthy valley of the Eastanallee, in a community where the
people have long been distinguished for their generosity, strict
morality, and harmonious workings for the advancement of ed-
ucation and refinement." The following "terms" were set forth:

I2L3TJ

McMINN

V*

93

Mouse Creek Academy in the late nineteenth century. Note the fly on
the upper right corner of the glass plate negative.

FIRST CLASS — To include Orthography, Reading,

Writing, Primary Arithmetic $5.00

SECOND CLASS — To include English Grammar,

Geography, First Lessons in Composition and

Practical Arithmetic $7.50

94 Tennessee County History Series

THIRD CLASS— To include Natural Philosophy,
U.S. History, Anatomy, and Elementary Algebra $8.75

FOURTH CLASS— Mental Philosophy, Common School
Astronomy, Higher Arithmetic, Higher Algebra $10.00

FIFTH CLASS — Rhetoric and Composition, Chemistry,
Geometry, Trigonometry, Conic Sections, Analytic Geometry
and Mathematical Astronomy $15.00

CONTINGENT FEE— 25Cts. to be paid by each student
on entering school.

Students will be charged from the time they enter school to the
close of the term. Deductions made only in case of protracted sick-
ness. Board, including lights, can be had in good families at cheap
rates. Students wishing to board themselves can obtains rooms and
fuel for a trifle.

The names of the trustees indicate family ties that have been
important across the years: J. N. Cate, W. H. Forrest, D. P. Isbell,
James Lewis (chairman), J. D. Lowry, Jr., J. P. Netherland, E. M.
Stalcup, and W. P. Willson.

Elementary or primary education began in an organized
manner in 1823. Under Presbyterian guidance, a log building
was erected in the present Cedar Grove Cemetery and was known
as Cedar Grove School. Other schools at this early time were the
Glover School, where McMinn Dodson taught, the Gum Hill
School, and the Eastanallee School. Drawing from an old record,
Ozelle Powers vividly describes the latter:

The school was built on a section of land that had been worn out
and no longer used for farming. The building was made of logs
and had a rough pine floor of split logs. It had two doors, one on
each side, and had four windows, one on each side of the doors.
The building was approximatley twenty feet by twenty feet. At one
end of the building was a rock fire place which was used for heat-
ing. The children had split logs for seats. The children studied
aloud, and the teacher believed in the hickory stick. The length of
the school term was about six weeks and during this time the chil-
dren went to school from sun-up to sun-down.

The first public schools were not adequately financed, and
sometimes were referred to as "pauper schools. "Even though an

McMINN 95

act was passed by the state legislature in 1873 to establish a public
school system, a local option school tax was defeated. In 1874
there were 66 schools and 73 teachers in the county. They taught
approximately three months out of the year, and were paid $30.00
per month.

The public school situation had deteriorated to such an ex-
tent by 1878 that they appeared to be on the brink of extinction.
Superintendent C. R. Hoyl, in a report to the state superintend-
ent, begged for help: "Oh, God! for Christ's sake forbid it, I would
humbly pray thee, in His name, Amen!"

There was also keen competition between the public and pri-
vate schools. Lydia Bridges had the most prestigious private school
in the area. It met in the basement of the Bridges' Hotel and was
supported by the leading families of the community. Her stu-
dents were derided as "Cellar Bugs"by the public school students
who were, in turn, called "Gully Bugs" because of the location of
their school near the large gully which ran near the north side
of the school and along the south side of the town square.

When Athens was incorporated in 1903 taxes could be levied
and a city school system established. For the first six years the
old Forest Hill Academy was used. Then in 1909 the present
Forest Hill building, much of which has now been torn down,
was constructed. Later, a school as added in North Athens, and
after World War II schools were added in the Ingleside and City
Park sections of the expanding town. Men like Bob Benton,
George Galloway, and Harold Powers will remain important in
the history of elementary education in the area. W F. Whitaker
was the superintendent during the period of greatest growth.

Up until the early part of the twentieth century there was
little or no emphasis placed on educating the black population.
A few attempts made by white teachers from the North were met
by strong resistance. At least four black schools were burned. In
1926 the county, with the help from the city and the Rosenwald
Foundation, established a comprehensive black school called the
Athens Training School. It was later renamed Cook High School
in honor of J. L. Cook and, with other black schools in the Eto-
wah area, operated until the desegregation period of the mid-

96 Tennessee County History Series

1960s. The Cook school was an outgrowth of the "Academy of
Athens" mentioned earlier which had been located at the top of
Depot Hill on the Wilson property next to Laycock Funeral Home.

In 1891 a secondary school law was passed. Two years later,
the county purchased the property of the old Athens Female
College from Dr. L. L. H. Carlock for $2500. On April 20, 1893,
McMinn County High School was opened as the first public sec-
ondary school in East Tennessee and the second in the entire
state. The first principal was M. R. M. Burke. In recent years,
the work of B. L. Hale and J. Will Foster has been most noteworthy.

High schools slowly became established in the other large
communities, such as the one housed for a time in the Carnegie
Library in Etowah. These were smaller, but built up records of
proud accomplishment. After a series of consolidations since the
mid-1960s there are now only two high schools, McMinn High
in its new structure on Congress Parkway in Athens, and McMinn
Central between Etowah and Englewood on Highway 411.

The story of education in McMinn County is incomplete
without a sketch of Tennessee Wesleyan College. Before 1850 a
private academy had existed at the present site of the college,
but it had burned. The Odd Fellows Lodge, whose members
helped to start several colleges in Virginia and Tennessee, ob-
tained a charter to build a college on the site and started the
construction of the building known today as "Old College," which
stands at the heart of the campus. Financial problems resulted
in the Odd Fellows proposing a joint undertaking with the
Methodist Church.

The name Athens Female College was chosen in 1857, and
by the time of the Civil War it was a thriving institution. A news-
paper advertisement in 1863 read: "The larger and better por-
tion of the young men of the country are in the army, fighting
the battles of freedom and independence. And whatever else
you leave undone, don't neglect to educate your daughters."

However, financial problems, which have almost always
plagued the college, arose again, and additional changes within
the Methodist organization altered the character of the college.
The Holston Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church —

McMINN 97

the group with Union loyalties — was reorganized in 1865 at
Athens. The female college owed a large sum to its president, Dr.
Erastus Rowley, and he claimed ownership of the college against
those debts. He immediately sold it to the newly reorganized
conference, and in 1867 it became known as East Tennessee
Wesleyan College. A year later it became coeducational and
was renamed East Tennessee Wesleyan University.

In 1884 Dr. John Fletcher Spence became president and com-
menced a 26-year administration. During this period the names
Grant Memorial University and then U.S. Grant University were
used. Under this name it consolidated with the University of
Chattanooga and was usually referred to simply as "The Athens
School." This consolidation continued until 1925 under the
administration of a variety of Chattanooga-based presidents and
deans, the most important of whom was Arlo Ayres Brown who
went on to be president of Drew University and a leading voice
in American education in the hrst half of the twentieth century.

Perhaps the most important person in the colleges history
came on the scene in 1918, when James L. Robb began to ad-
minister the Athens campus. In 1925, when the separation of
the two schools occurred, Robb became president, and the school
was named Tennessee Wesleyan College.

Robb's tenure lasted until 1950, and he led the college through
a period of great financial problems, the Depression, and two
major wars. In spite of all this, the college grew both in facilities
and student population. Robb's relationship to the Pfeiffer fam-
ily of New York City resulted in major contributions that built a
library, a girls' dormitory, and a gymnasium, the latter bearing
Robb's name. Throughout Robb's administration, the college
operated as a two-year junior college.

During the administrations of Leroy Martin and Ralph
Mohney, the college experienced continued growth having
become a four-year institution in 1955. By the end of Mohney's
term, the college budget was well over a million dollars, and
the enrollment had increased to over seven hundred stu-
dents. In 1967 the college granted 100 degrees and added
several new faculty.

98 Tennessee County History Series

Like other small denominational schools, however, the col-
lege fell on very difficult times in the early 1970s. It was feared
that the doors might even be closed. Enrollments at private schools
sharply declined across the country; at Tennessee Wesleyan it
declined by nearly two-thirds. Thanks to efforts of alumni, friends,
the community in general, and the able efforts of President George
Naff, the college has survived and the immediate future looks
strong.

The story of Tennessee Wesleyan College has been a story of
continued perseverance and adaptation. It has faced difficult times
again and again but always had the strength of character to find
new avenues of service in the light of changing demands. At times
the college has seemed like a "community within a community,"
and its initial Union sympathies may have put it at odds with
many in the larger community. The college seems to be accepted
more and more as a community resource, however, and a distinct
asset in which the town can take great pride. To the extent that
the community and the college align themselves as they face the
future, the college's life will be assured and that of the commu-
nity enhanced.

A significant part of the story of the schools in the county is
the story of athletics. McMinn County has a strong tradition of
prowess on the gridiron, basketball court, and baseball diamond.
From the time of the old softball and baseball teams that brought
large crowds to Fisher Field to the present exodus to Knoxville
on football Saturdays to see "The Big Orange," McMinn Coun-
tians have been sports enthusiasts. People are likely to recall
sporting events and athletes' names more quickly than those of
politicians, ministers, and soldiers. It is impossible to recount all
of the anecdotes relating to county athletic heroes and their ac-
complishments. A "Sports Hall of Fame" has been established for
that purpose. The persons cited here are only a representative
sample.

Perhaps the most successful athlete from the county was Glenn
"Mutt" Knox, who graduated from McMinn County High School
in 1938 and then attended Tennessee Wesleyan College for two
years. With the encouragement of his coach, Rube McCray, he

McMINN

99

An Athens High School football team near the turn of the century

then enrolled at William and Mary where he attained Southern
Conference MVP honors in basketball in 1943 and All-Southern
honors in football. He went on to play both professional bas-
ketball and football and later became a successful automobile
dealer in Richmond, Virginia.

J. B. "Ace" Adams is a commanding figure in sports in the
county's history. He excelled as a baseball player at the University
of Tennessee and Tennessee Wesleyan before going on to coach
and serve as athletic director at McMinn County High School in
the early 1950s. His teams attained some of the best records and
won some of the biggest games in the school's history. Adams was
also a member of the famed "Athens Oilers." His son, Joe, has
become one of the most outstanding baseball coaches in the state
at Bradley County High School.

What "Ace" Adams has been to athletics in Athens, "Buck"
Brown has been to sports in Englewood. An exceptional baseball
and basketball player whose skilled pitching became his trade-
mark, he served as coach and athletic director at Englewood High

100 Tennessee County Histoiy Series

and later at the new McMinn Central High School into the early
1970s. Englewood fans also recall Charley Raper and Willard Reid,
both well-known baseball players, and Shirley Majors, one of their
most memorable football players.

Wayne Grubb came from one of the most famous athletic
families in the county, and went on to star at UT from 1958—
1960. He gained the honor of being named to the All-Alabama
Opponents team in 1960. In one of the most famous games in
the history of the university, Tennessee faced eventual national
champion Louisiana State and Heisman trophy-winner Billy
Cannon in Knoxville on November 7, 1959. With the game at its
end, and the score 14—13 in favor of UT, LSU attempted to run
Cannon for a two point conversion that would win the game.
One of the most celebrated pictures in the history of Sports Il-
lustrated magazine shows Grubb at the goal line tackling Cannon
and preserving the Tennessee victory. Grubb was joined by fel-
low Athenian Jim Cartwright on this team.

Bob "Mr. Dirty"Deal was well-known multisport athlete in the
second quarter of the 1900s, who came to be best-known as an
umpire. Deal infuriated fans and coaches alike, but to the play-
ers who came to know him personally, there was no kinder and
more caring man. His great interest in athletics certainly helped
to raise the county's sporting experiences to higher plateaus. Fans
of Etowah athletics also recall the exploits of J. "King" Dunn,
Frank Thomas "Fatty" York, and Max Carroll.

The following names will bring back memories for many
McMinn Countians: Buenos Baker, Henry "Pie" Barnett, Boyd
Coffee, "Big Peanut" Daugherty, Claude "Steel Arm"Dickey, Wil-
lard Eaves (a member of the 1938 Duke University Rose Bowl
team), Lee Fisher, Reed Halcomb, Rankin Hudson, Hobart "Feets"
Jones, Ralph Jordan, David Knox, Glenn "Coot" Lawson, Ray-
mond McKee, Benny Monroe, Phil Pierce, Mike Reynolds, Tommy
Samples, "Tip" Smith, David Vestal, and Carter Whitaker.

Newspapers

McMinn County has been fortunate in having excellent
newspapers across its history, although there have been papers

McMINN 101

which have taken opposing views and often been in conflict. The
two present papers — The Etowah Enterprise and the award-win-
ning The Daily Post- Athenian — are prime examples of newspapers
committed to keeping their subscribers abreast of the informa-
tion they need.

The first newspaper was The Hiwassee and Athens Gazette, which
was started in 1830 by two Rhea Countians, S. M. and J. C. S.
Hood. This paper continued until 1833 when it was succeeded
by J. M. Brezeales Tennessee Journal. Three other papers estab-
lished before midcentury were The Hiwassee Patriot, The Athens
Courier, and The Hiwassee Republican.

The most significant early newspaper event involved bring-
ing Samuel P. Ivins from New Jersey via Knoxville in 1848 to
found The Athens Post. The paper was conceived as a propaganda
medium to advance the new interest in railroading. Using news-
papers for political and business purposes was a typical practice
in the mid-1800s. Ivins was successful, and The Post built a strong
foundation under his direction until the late 1880s.

During the Civil War a Union paper called The Athens Union
Post came into existence. An opposition paper, The Athenian, was
immediately established; The Athenian survived. In the late 1920s,
E. T Taylor and J. Rollo Emert merged the two papers and pub-
lished a twice-weekly Post-Athenian from the North Jackson
location that was used until the 1960s.

For a short time around 1936 Hurst Paul published the McMinn
County Herald. Taylor was looking for a buyer for his paper, and
on March 15 Fred Wankan arrived from Mississippi to survey
the possibilities of coming to McMinn County. Wankan wanted
to buy both local papers and merge them but could not reach an
agreement with Paul. Soon after Wankans purchase of the Post-
Athenian, the Paul paper ceased to exist. Within a year, Wankans
paper began to be published daily and the present name, The
Daily Post-Athenian, was established.

In 1937 Wankan made two acquisitions that raised newspa-
pering to new heights in McMinn County. First, the most mod-
ern press available was installed, and was used for twenty years.
Then, and most important, Wankan convinced Neal Ensminger

102 Tennessee County Histoiy Series

J. Neal Ensminger, executive editor
of The Daily Post- Athenian

to come to work for the paper. Across the years, Ensminger has
worked in every branch of the business from reporter to exec-
utive editor — with plenty of experience on the presses to boot.
Of greater significance than any particular facet of his work, the
spirit of the man has become the spirit of the paper, and The Daily
Post-Athenian has been recognized repeatedly as one of the most
outstanding small town papers in the Southeast.

To pick a representative citizen from all who have lived in
the county across the years would be difficult, but it would be a
compliment to the county to allow Neal Ensminger to stand in
that position. His work with the newspaper, local civic clubs, fund-
raising projects, his Sunday school class at Keith Memorial, and
his advocacy of Tennessee Wesleyan have affected the lives of
countless persons in the region. He represents the best that
the county can aspire to, and the excellence of The Daily Post-
Athenian over the past half-century becomes a fitting tribute to
him — a man of gentleness and wisdom whose description of
the wind in the top of the mulberry bush is etched on the mem-
ory as much as the cadence of his voice and the gleam in his

McMINN 103

eye. Alongside the other institutions of the county, Ensminger
himself is an institution.

Wankan sold the DPA in 1939, and two years later it passed
into the hands of Lowell F. Arterburn. Arterburn's creative con-
cern with communications not only advanced the paper, but also
led to the establishment of the county's first radio station, WLAR.
When Arterburn died in 1959 his wife, Helen, who was also a
physician, led the paper. In 1962 she sold her interests to a group
led bv Bob Svkes. One of the better-known writers of the region,
Bill Casteel of The Chattanooga Times, was reared in Athens and
started his career at the DPA.

The other major newspaper in the county's history has been
The Etowah Enterprise. It was established in 1907 by Thomas F.
Peck from Madisonville who was in charge of the paper's op-
eration until 1946 when it was sold to a local group and Frank
McKinney became editor-publisher. McKinney directed the pa-
per for nearly 30 years. The DPA group, led by Sykes, purchased
the paper in 1964. For a short time in the early part of the cen-
tury two other papers appeared in Etowah, The Etowah New Era
and The Etowah Post. For a while a paper called The McMinn County
Herald was published in Englewood.

Finally, there has been one other newspaper venture of im-
portance in the county. In 1960 Archie Wattenbarger established
a weekly called The Athens Press. The paper did well, but Watten-
barger s untimely death two years later made it impossible for
the paper to continue. A last note should call attention to Daisy
Rice Spradling whose reporting for the Chattanooga Times and
feature writing about social and cultural events in McMinn County
made her byline famous throughout the region.

Only a lack of space prohibits some discussion of other in-
stitutions and similar organizations which have been important
in the county. Some mention should be made, however, of the
Browning Circle. Organized as a women's reading group by Mrs.
May Noel Moody in 1891, the circle ultimately grew to be the city
of Athens only "public" library. The group named itself after the
poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and took as their motto a line
from her work: "We strike out blindly to a mark, believed in, but

104 Tennessee County History Series

not seen." Over the years the Browning Circle has made many
efforts at civic enrichment in addition to the library.

A Faithful Legacy Through Two Wars

Young men from McMinn County have always responded
quickly to their country's call during times of war. Their ances-
tors had fought at Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War.
From the Creek Wars to the Battle of New Orleans, from the
Civil War to the Spanish-American conflict, McMinn Countians
displayed exceptional valor and patriotism.

Charles F Keith, Jr., has left an intriguing memoir of the first
twentieth-century army unit to be mustered in the county, Com-
pany "I" of the Sixth Regiment, National Guard of the state of
Tennessee. The date of muster was December 20, 1901. The orig-
inal group was made up of : James A. Arnwine, John B. Camp,
Hershel M. Candler, James F Cook, Robert C. Cockron, William
L. Cook, Affett C. Duff, Harry Dixon, Wiley A. Foster, J. Horace
Gauldy, Pat S. Horton, Richard J. Haley, William R. Horton, Wil-
liam O. Hoskins, Marshall J. Keith, Charles F Keith, Jr., Samuel
Kelley, George C. Long, Bruce A. Long, M. Luther Minge, T
Edwin Moody, Clay S. Matlock, Edward A. Meckling, F O. Mah-
ery, Harvey Melton, James R Minge, Jr., Thomas F Neil, W Boyd
Nankiville, Roger L. Owen, Charles H. Prescott, Harry C. Pe-
ters, Allen W Rogers, Fred S. Riddle, William H. Rogers, Robert
A. Reed, Claude W Richardson, Mack W Smith, Charles M.
Sanders, Ben F Sherlin, William H. Stansel, William C. Steed,
William R. Thomas, Jacob T Tuell, Ralph E. Wattles, Charles F
W r alker, and Ollie M. West.

There had been a terrible storm and several men in the county
could not make it to the "Old Opera House" on North Jackson
Street for the mustering ceremony. A Captain Drewery had come
from Chattanooga to be in charge and would not be outdone by
the elements. He simply took local citizens who were there, gave
them the names of absentees, and proceeded with the roll call
now containing the requisite number for an official mustering.
The stand-ins were: Sheriff S. T Porter, Professor W F Mc-

McMINN 105

Carron, Dr. John B. Cross, Dr. W. W. Grant, George Kelley, John
Jackson, M. L. Luther (who had been a drummer boy in the Con-
federate army), Dr. James Nankiville, Tom Evans, N. Lockmiller,
John Tuell, John Peters, and Roger Sherman.

Soon old Springfield rifles and winter weight uniforms were
issued to the new company. By summer, the unit was allowed to
have their own light-weight summer uniforms made. A Mrs. Barr
made the shirts and put brass buttons on them. The unit was
called "The Brandon Guard," after the adjutant general of the
state at that time, and had blue silk ribbons with gold lettering
of this designation which were worn on civilian clothing. The
Opera House was used as an armory, and troops drilled on the
town square. Young girls came to watch the troops drill, and they
all went to Algoods Bake and Ice Cream Parlor after the drills
for refreshments.

In 1902 state militia (as the national guard was then called)
from throughout Tennessee camped in Athens, creating great
excitement. The camp was set up in North Athens along Wood-
ward Avenue and was named "Camp Louise" after the wife of
the governor at that time, James B. Frazier. Mrs. Frazier was the
former Louise Douglas Keith of Athens.

According to Keiths account: "Each man drew two blankets,
two blocks of straw, two wax candles, two men occupied a tent.
For a bed you put your 'poncho 1 down then spread your straw,
placed one blanket over the straw, and then used the other one
to cover yourself. Then the tent had to be ditched around to
keep water from running into it when it rained. If you sat down
you had to sit on the straw covered bed, as no one but the officers
had chairs in their tents." Keith then reported that it was the first
nights sleep on the ground for most of the company, "but it did
not make any sick."

Except for a misunderstanding about which guard station
would let troops from the unit back into camp after a late trip
to Algoods that ended with Keith and some of his friends in the
guardhouse, the camp was uneventful. The governor and his
wife came to town for a large reception. "Troop B,"a crack cav-
alry unit from Chattanooga, arrived to add to the festivities, and

106 Tennessee Comity History Series

according to Keith "the girls of town surely fell for the troops
with their good looking uniforms, spurs and sabers." Beyond a
doubt, times were much simpler then!

In early 1916 the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa exe-
cuted 15 American citizens and raided Columbus, New Mexico.
President Woodrow Wilson immediately ordered American sol-
diers under the command of Gen. John Pershing to capture Villa
and put an end to the border conflicts. Serving as part of the
Third Tennessee Infantry, McMinn Countians were on the Mex-
ican border from July 1916 until March 1917. Their efforts con-
stituted little more than a punitive counterattack, and although
he was chased over a good deal of the Southwest, Villa avoided
capture.

The time back home was short-lived, since by early August
the local unit was recalled to active duty, spent a period of time
training in Greenville, South Carolina, and sailed for France on
May 11, 1918. The unit was engaged in combat on July 9 and
became involved in the most decisive continual offensive of the
war, which had them fighting almost every day through October
23, when they were finally relieved.

During this 3V3 month period, the army advanced from the
low country of France and Belgium through the Argonne and
nearly to the German border. The most significant moment came
on September 29, 1918, when the formidable Hindenburg Line
was smashed and the defeat of Germany assured.

In May 1918 another group of soldiers left McMinn County,
ultimately destined to fight over much of the same terrain. This
time, it was 90 men who represented the first "selective service"
that the county provided. Training was done at Camp Pike, Ar-
kansas, where the majority of the trainees were from Michigan
and Wisconsin. They were fascinated by the East Tennesseans,
and this fascination was heightened by John Derrick of Etowah
who went through the camp giving speeches telling about how,
when called from his home on Starrs Mountain to serve his
country, he came riding out of the hills on a mountain lion and
wearing a rattlesnake for a necktie. Several of the men, includ-
ing Derrick, Charles Boone, and Vernie Smith, were from Eto-

McMINN 107

wah; Charles Gemblin, Oscar Kibble, Oscar Liner, and Luther
Stephenson were from Calhoun, George Parkison was from
Riceville, and John Kelley from Athens.

Their first combat was early October 1918 in the Argonne,
and they soon pushed forward beyond the Meuse River in daily
fighting. Liner, who was a barber by trade and often cut hair for
soldiers while they sat on blasted tree stumps, and Boone were
killed during this month and a half of battle. Like the McMinn
Countians who came to this region 25 years later, they faced other
obstacles in addition to the enemy — a flu epidemic killed nearly
as many as bullets, shrapnel, and mustard gas.

On the morning of November 11 scouts were sent out to ob-
serve enemy positions as was customary. One group walked square
into the face of a well-hidden German machine gun nest — they
could have reached out and touched the barrel of the gun. In-
stead of firing, the Germans motioned for them to go back. At
11:00 a.m., word came that the Germans had surrendered — the
men in the machine gun nest had already received the word. At
noon, American and German soldiers met in the no-mans-land
between their battle lines, shook hands, embraced, danced, and
cried.

The unit was pulled back and that evening collected an enor-
mous pile of wood to build a bonfire. With something of that fire
still sparkling in his eyes, an 88-year-old veteran John Kelley,
recalled how they sat in circles around the fire and sang battle
songs to celebrate the victory. When the armistice was signed on
November 17, the men marched to the Rhine River Valley where
they served as occupation troops until April of 1919.

Perhaps the most decorated person from this area of the state
was David W Lillard, who had come from Decatur to practice
law in Etowah in 1910. He was a leading figure in that community
until 1941. Lillard commanded the Etowah guard company, took
it to the Mexican border, and participated in 21 major battles in
France before being wounded at Ponchaux on October 7, 1918.
In spite of his wounds, he led his men to victory and received
for his valor, among several other awards, the French Groix de
Guerre and the American Distinguished Service Gross, be-

108 Tennessee County History Series

stowed by General Pershing himself. When Lillard returned to
the countv in 1920 a motorcade of several hundred cars escorted
him from Athens back to Etowah.

Federal recognition of the local guard unit came on May 1,
1938, and bv early 1939, as war clouds rose in Europe and the
Pacific, the unit was fully enlisted. While numerous individuals
fought in every theater and branch of the armed services in World
War II, McMinn County became identified with the activities of
the local guard unit, Company B, 117th Infantry, 30th (or "Old
Hickory") Division. About half of the men were from the city of
Athens and the remainder from the rural area. By the end of
September 1940, the company had moved to Fort Jackson, South
Carolina. The first officers were Capt. Herman L. Moses, 1st. Lt.
Walter E. Moses, and 2nd Lt. Glenn Aytes. Soon Warren Giles
and Zeb Sherrill were added to the rank of officers of the com-
pany. Company B had been at Fort Jackson only a short time
before Staff Sgt. Charles P. Robinson established a reputation
for operating the finest mess in the entire division. Col. Grant
A. Schlieker assumed command of the 117th Infantry on August
12, 1942. Within a few weeks he moved Sergeant Robinson to
regimental headquarters to operate the officers' mess. He did
such a superior job that he had more influence with Colonel
Schlieker than any other officer or man in the regiment.

Because the company was composed of men who had had
military training, they were first used to train draftees. This con-
tinued until late 1943, when plans were made to move the com-
pany to England to begin preparations for the invasion of Europe.
The company boarded troop ships in February 1944 — an un-
forgetable introduction to ocean travel for most of the company.
Many of them could hardly wait for sight of the first German
who could be repaid for having made them endure this agoniz-
ing experience.

The company trained in England through late May amidst
the friendliness of the English people and growing rumors and
speculation about an invasion. At last, a tight lid of secrecy was
thrown on the encamped unit the first week of June, and it be-
came clear that actual combat was close at hand. Major Giles was

McMINN 109

the regimental intelligence officer and paricipated in the
initial planning.

The first battalion of the "Old Hickory" Division landed on
the Normandy Beach on "D Day + 6." They moved a short dis-
tance inland, dug in, and waited. Finally, on June 20, the enemy
was engaged, and Pvt. Wayne E. Lavender became the first battle
casualty.

The first three weeks of July found Company B (code name
"Curlew Baker") engaged in what came to be their most difficult
moment of the entire war: the hedgerows between the Vire River
and the critical German stronghold at St. L6. Crossing the Vire
would be the first real battle, but until St. L6 could be captured
there would be no significant "break-out" from the beachhead.

Beyond the fields and orchards inland from the Normandy
beach the French countryside was crisscrossed by earthen dikes,
tree-covered and sometimes ten feet high, that had been raised
over the centuries of farming and construction of roads and
drainage ditches. A War Department document from the period
reported that in a typical eight-square-mile section of Normandy
there were more than 3900 hedged enclosures. They were per-
fect for tanks, machine gunners, and riflemen to hide behind,
and almost completely impregnable by conventional means of
warfare. A successful days fighting could easily be measured in
feet and yards — and lives lost.

On July 7 the Vire River crossing took place and the initial
battle to break out of the Normandy beachhead was under way.
Company B played a large part in this crossing. Capt. Edward
R. Friday, commander of the company, was wounded and Lt.
Daniel L. Sullivan, Jr., assumed command. By nightfall, after the
Germans had counterattacked but been repulsed, Company B
and the remainder of the 117th Infantry had firmly established
its bridgehead. On July 9 the Germans counterattacked once
more, this time combining infantry with tanks from the Panzer
Lehr Division; they were repulsed with heavy losses. On July 12
Lt. Sullivan was wounded and Lt. Robert C. Spiker from Mor-
gantown, West Virginia, assumed command for the remainder
of the war.

110 Tennessee County History Series

With the mixed blessing of a saturation air bombardment —
often the pilots bombed and strafed their own infantry — the vic-
tory was finally won by July 19. The battle had been costly. Of
the original 3240 riflemen in the division, perhaps as many as
757c were injured or killed.

The next major action took place at Mortain and St. Barthe-
lemy, where a German counterattack of four panzer divisions
and all kinds of artillery and infantry units were thrown into an
attack that was designed to do nothing less than drive the Allies
back to the sea. But "Old Hickory" stood in the breach, and while
sustaining great losses — Company C was all but wiped out — held
its ground. In postwar interviews, according to Lt. Col. J. B. Owen,
Jr., of Calhoun, the leading German commanders Jodl, Keitel,
and Kesselring considered the stand at Mortain as a turning point
that led to the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.

The Siegfried Line along the western frontier of Germany
had been designed as an impenetrable last line of defense which
would in all likelihood never have to be used. In case it was, it
had been fortified with some of the best soldiers and most mod-
ern war technology available. By early October 1944 "Old Hick-
ory" had arrived and begun its attack. Company B comprised
the "valiant men"at the forefront of the battle who were assigned
the painful task of destroying three concrete-encased enemy gun
emplacements called "pill boxes. "They captured their three and
two more. October 2 was a bloody day for Company B, when it
suffered 30 casualties. After six more days of fighting, Company
B breached the Seigfried Line.

In December Company B reached the Forest of Ardennes
and faced an obstacle as grievous as the hedgerows and the con-
crete pill boxes — winter. In fact, the winter of 1944—45 was one
of the harshest on record. Men fell to frostbite almost as rapidly
as they had to bullets. Veterans recall digging small foxholes,
barely big enough for two men, spreading one poncho and over-
coat on the ground, lying beside each other, and placing a second
coat on top. Enough body heat was generated to provide warmth.

Into the midst of these desperate circumstances, Germany
launched its most famous last ditch effort to turn the Allied tide,

McMINN 111

the Battle of the Bulge. Again, the 30th Division was at the center
of the fighting. Veterans can recall being rushed in blacked-out
truck convoys through the frigid night into areas that were thought
to be secure. Massed armor moved all around them, and the
infantrymen became nervous from being in a closed vehicle in-
stead of in the open field where instincts of self-preservation which
had been honed over the last months could be best employed.
On more than one occasion on that night enemy flares lit the sky,
and the men of Company B would tumble from the trucks and
run for the cover of the tree line.

The radio voice of Nazi Germany, "Axis Sally," according to
Owen, threatened "the fanatical Thirtieth Division, Rossevelt's
SS troops, are enroute to the rescue; but this time it will be com-
pletely annihilated." The First SS Panzer Division, perhaps the
best unit that Germany had left, zealously fought to make her
prophecy come true, but again a German fighting force met its
match and the battle was turned.

As Spring approached, the company received special train-
ing in river crossing for the next major offensive, the crossing
of the Rhine. The Allied command expected intense resistance
since this was the last natural obstacle before Berlin. The antic-
ipated battle was so important that generals Dwight Eisenhower
and William Simpson visited with the troops on the night of March
23, 1945. In Owens record, when Sgt. Leroy Summers of Com-
pany B's second platoon was asked about the chances of a suc-
cessful river crossing, he responded: "General, if Company B
can't make it tonight, you can give up hope for the whole Ninth
Army."

The crossing was made with relative ease, and suddenly Ger-
man prisoners were being taken in droves. Company B still had
a major problem, however; they were moving so quickly beyond
anticipated objectives that they were coming under fire from their
own air support. Daily advances of fifty miles or more became
common — quite the reverse of the dreaded hedgerows.

Finally, at the end of April, Company B took the city of
Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Fully capable of advancing to Ber-
lin immediately, the company fell victim to the widely disputed

1 1 2 Tennessee County History Series

decision requiring it to wait for the Russians to complete their
westward march across Germany.

Soon the company returned to the United States. The men
were greeted in New York harbor by the beatific symbol of lib-
erty's torch, which somehow burned more intensely because of
the past year of their lives. By V-J Day most of the veterans were
back in the county, ready to carry on their fight for freedom in
an unusual way.

Company B was part of one of the most highly decorated
fighting units in the entire war, which received two Distinguished
Unit Citations, the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star for
the Siegfried Line offensive, and the Belgian Fourragere for the
Ardennes campaign, that governments highest unit decoration.
More enlisted men became officers from this company than any
other national guard company in the U.S. Army; three became
generals — John Calhoun, Warren Giles, and Carl Lay.

Three other men received distinction in another way — Jim
Barkley, John Elkins, and Charles Hughes were the only infan-
trymen in the company to fight through the thickest of all the
battles from the Vire River to Madgeburg without serious injury
or battle relief. Participants in an amazing record of bravery, they
were there every step of the way. Their "medal of honor" was
the silver-wreathed blue and silver combat infantryman's badge.

Wars are always instances of man's inability to live at his best.
Nevertheless, the virtues of courage, devotion, and honor give
rise to heroic actions by otherwise peaceful citizen-soldiers. The
record of McMinn Countians in the great world wars, including
3500 who participated in World War II, reveals a striking patri-
otism that future generations need to recall, take pride in, and
be inspired by.

The Battle of Athens

McMinn County has always been politically divergent, and
many times that divergence has become belligerent and even vi-
olent. The confrontations between the old Whig and Democratic
factions before the Civil War on the town square at Athens were

McMINN 113

preludes to other political differences that have surfaced across
the years. In addition, there has almost always been a spirit of
competition between the various cities and communities in the
county — in the 1950s, it was not unusual for a McMinn-Etowah
football game to become a pitched battle, punctuated on at least
one occasion by gunfire.

Sometimes this political radicality could be based on what were
conceived as the highest of moral and human intentions. The
extremely active prohibition and temperance movements, that
actually moved women with axes to invade taverns in neighbor-
ing Meigs County, are a good example of this. Prohibitionists
became active soon after the Civil War and organized groups like
The Sons of Temperance and The Women's Christian Temper-
ance Union. Speakers toured the county in a manner similar to
the pre-Civil War debates. In 1909 a majority of citizens voted to
become "dry" and, the bootleggers notwithstanding, the county
has remained so until today.

A notable example of radical political activity took place in
1920 and is a certain hallmark for the county. After years of in-
tense political maneuvering, the women's suffrage movement fi-
nally succeeded in getting Congress to propose an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution. It remained for 36 of the then 48 states
to favor the amendment and it would become law. By August of
1920 Tennessee had become the key, 36th state. The state leg-
islature deadlocked twice on a vote to table, and the opposition
forces, feeling that the resolution itself would fail, called for a
vote. Harry T. Burn from Niota (who had voted to table) cast
what turned out to be the deciding vote in favor of the resolu-
tion. Burn voted for the resolution because he had promised his
mother that he would help. One of the most important and-long-
awaited movements in American political history was complete.

However, no political activity in the county's history has ever
come close to rivaling those events which took place on election
day in Athens in 1946. Those events have come to be known as
"The Battle of Athens," and they constitute the single most dis-
cussed event in the county's history. Many citizens still recall the
events of the period, and often their involvement in them, as if

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Tennessee County History Series

** J

$ . -#iisl

Harry T. Burn of Niota on the steps of the capitol in Nashville following
ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment on August 18, 1920. Burn
is standing to the rear of the photograph shaking hands with Anita
Pollitzer of Charleston, SC, legislative secretary of the National
Woman's Party.

they took place yesterday. Stories of large radios being placed
before windows as shields, the sounds of bullets riccocheting
against buildings, people sitting all night on their front porches
with loaded guns, and the sight of brand new cars being burned
in the streets are told and retold.

It all began with Edward Hull Crump. He came from the
most difficult of backgrounds — his father died in the great yel-
low fever epidemic of 1878 when the younger Crump was three,
and the dreams that his family had had of becoming landed gen-
try in rural Mississippi had been crushed by Reconstruction. Like
so many who had found their way there before and after him,
Crump made his way to Memphis. His rise to success there was

McMINN 115

phenomenal. He soon owned the business he had first come to
work for, married into one of the finest families of the city, began
to amass what would come to be a personal fortune, and — most
significantly — became politically active in the notorious Fourth
Ward of Memphis. He became mayor in 1910 and served until
1916. By the early 1930s, Crump had established the most pow-
erful political machine in the states history, a machine which in-
fluenced Tennessee politics for the better part of the next half
century.

Historians in the future will probably give mixed reviews to
Crumps career and his use of power. To many, particularly in
Memphis itself, he was known as "Mister Crump," the man who
rode herd on a sinful "den of iniquity. "To others, especially those
who were adversely effected by the outward extremities of the
machine, he was "Boss Crump," symbolizing an iron-fisted, dic-
tatorial rule that was not beyond corruption itself. Crump sup-
ported the TVA and opposed the KKK, but he also knew every
pragmatic political tactic that was needed to control the polling
place and to profit politically from doing so.

In what has come to be called the "vote grab of 1936," those who
were sympathetic to Crump came to power in McMinn County.
Paul Cantrell, who was involved with the powerful banking inter-
ests of Etowah and aligned with the equally powerful Burch Biggs
in Polk County, was elected state senator and essentially became
the county's boss. George Woods, also from the eastern part of the
county, was elected to the state legislature and, with backing from
Crump, ultimately became speaker of the house. Pat Mansfield, a
transplanted Georgian, was elected sheriff.

To pass a final judgement on these men and their activities
is difficult. In one sense, they participated in the types of political
tactics that were commonplace at that time. Their activities were
not unlike those used in many other places throughout the coun-
try. In another sense, the harsh activities that were carried out,
especially by a large "gang"of deputy sheriffs, had to have at least
the implicit approval, if not even encouragement and direction,
of the high elected officials. There was cooperation with boot-
leggers and gambling rooms when there were adequate payoffs.

1 1 6 Tennessee County History Series

There was extensive "fee-grabbing" from unsuspecting tourists
and travellers through the area. The sheriff was paid $5,000 a
\ ear, but received expense money based on the number of per-
sons jailed — in the ten-year period ending in 1946 those ex-
penses had amounted to an almost inconceivable $300,000.

Control of the ballot boxes, however, was the key, and this
was done in two ways — possession of the apparatus that gener-
ated poll tax receipts, and the actual counting of the votes. It was
not unheard of to have the poll tax receipts handed out in whole-
sale lots along with bootleg whiskey on election eve, and to con-
fiscate at the merest whim, the receipts from political opponents.
Names from graveyards throughout the county were often
prominent among those who had voted. The deputies were the
enforcers, bullies — some had served time in the penitentiary —
who took advantage of the men being away at war to run rough-
shod over the population.

However, the soldiers heard about these happenings and
chafed at the bit to get back home and do something about it.
Theodore White's research featured Ralph Duggan, who had
served in the Pacific in the Navy and who came to be a leading
lawyer in the postwar period. According to White, Duggan
"thought a lot more about McMinn County than he did about
the Japs. If democracy was good enough to put on the Germans
and the Japs, it was good enough for McMinn County, too!" White
also adds that when two men on leave from the service were shot
and killed by suspected machine forces, the out-of-power vet-
erans and their supporters could no longer remain silent.

Five veterans and one civilian met secretly early in 1946 and
decided to enter a GI slate against the Cantrell and Mansfield
group. Following a tactic that Boss Crump had tried in Mem-
phis, Mansfield was leaving office and Cantrell himself planned
to take his place. The sheriffs office handled large sums of money.
Crump had been advised by friends, according to William Mil-
ler s Memphis During the Progressive Era, "that he owed it to himself
to run for some office with generous fees attached before leaving
his political career," and Cantrell was following something of the
same advice.

McMINN 117

A mass meeting was called in May which required GI iden-
tification, at which a nonpartisan slate of candidates headed by
Knox Henry, a decorated veteran of the North African cam-
paign and a member of a highly respected Clearwater area fam-
ily, for sheriff was established. Secret contributions from local
businessmen enabled the returning soldiers to mount a strong
campaign. The biggest obstacle to the GIs was the popular feel-
ing that, in spite of how people voted, the machine would count
the votes. The GIs established as the cornerstone of their cam-
paign the slogan "Your Vote Will Be Counted As Cast!"

On election day the largest number of citizens who had voted
in years in McMinn County turned out, as did over two hundred
armed deputies imported by Mansfield for the occasion. Each
polling place had "watchers" of both parties, and soon there was
conflict. In Etowah, a GI watcher asked that a ballot box be opened
and certified as empty; he was arrested and jailed. There were
several incidents in Athens. Walter Ellis was charged with a "fed-
eral offense" and jailed. A black man, Tom Gillespie, was not al-
lowed to vote over the GI watcher's objection. In fright, Gillespie
ran and was shot in the back. Bob Harrell objected to an un-
derage girl being allowed to vote; he was severely blackjacked
and had to be hospitalized. Charles (Shy) Scott, Jr., and Ed Vestal
were trapped by deputies while ballot boxes were confiscated in
a city voting place on North Jackson Street. Scott's father and
Jim Buttram faced drawn-gun conflict with Mansfield and one
of his deputies while attempting to get the release of the young
men. Through the diversion created by Neal Ensminger coming
from the DPA to get a vote count, the men were able to break
through a door to freedom. In a hail of gunfire the crowd which
had gathered began to dive behind and under cars for protec-
tion; the men escaped unharmed, but the boxes were gone.

When the counting began, the GI slate was comfortably lead-
ing by a three-to-one margin. It really did not matter, unfortu-
nately, because boxes from the voting place mentioned above
and one other important location were taken to the jail, where
the only GIs present were securely behind bars.

In marked frustration, and distressed over what was begin-

118 Tennessee County History Series

ning to appear as a foregone conclusion, the GIs met at their
campaign headquarters where Johnsons Home Furnishings now
stands. Suddenly two deputies appeared, flaunting their guns
and badges, and commanded the crowd to disperse. Otto, Oley,
and "Bull" Kennedy were brothers who never knew what it meant
to back down an inch, especially in the face of such an obnoxious
assault. Otto recalls taking all the threats that he could stand and
then saying all that was needed to be said — "Bull, let's get 'em!"
In the ensuing riot, five deputies were disarmed, beaten, and
eventually taken outside of town, stripped of their clothing, and
sent on their way back to Georgia. These deputies, if in fact they
did as they were told, were the lucky ones.

The problem of the ballot boxes still remained, and there was
the additional problem that the GIs had now, in fact, breached
the law. By morning, Cantrell could bring in reinforcements,
perhaps even the national guard. If there was going to be a res-
olution of the situation, it had to take place immediately.

By early evening, quietly, the veterans had armed themselves
with the best weapons available in the local national guard ar-
mory. Some rumors remain that they had surreptitiously pur-
chased 100,000 rounds of ammunition for shotguns and slipped
these into town. Knowing little about military tactics, the ma-
chine enforcers congregated in the county jail and made the crit-
ical mistakes of leaving the veterans a perfect, high-ground
vantage point across the block. One shot from the jail, which in
previous years would have been enough to disperse any objec-
tionable crowd, was answered by a volley of fire that continued
for hours. Years later, young people who had heard the story
could still go by the old DPA office on North Jackson Street and
see bullet holes in the the walls from the battle.

By 3:30 a.m., the men holding the jail had been dynamited
into submission, and by early morning George Woods was calling
Ralph Duggan to ask if he could come to Athens and certify the
election of the GI slate. White reported that "when the GIs broke
into the jail, they found some of the tally sheets marked by the
machine had been scored fifteen to one for the Cantrell forces."
When the final tally was completed, Knox Henry was elected

McMINN 119

sheriff, a good government league was formed, and a solid re-
form movement was under way.

The day after, an almost holiday mood prevailed. While there
were random acts of revenge, the majority of the people who
walked the streets, examined the bullet holes, saw the burned
cars, and listened to the stories were caught up in a euphoria
that had not been experienced in McMinn County in a long time.
When one of the men trapped in the jail was asked what he
did in the midst of the gunfire, he responded "I got behind the
big stove in the kitchen — if it hadn't been hot, I would have
got in it!"

Newspapers and magazines throughout the nation carried
reports about the event. Harper's Magazine sent Theodore White
to cover the story. On a late summer's evening in the early 1960s
a carload of tourists from Wisconsin drove into the town square.
Suddenly they were horrified to be caught up in the sound of
repeated gunfire — a plague of birds which were soiling every-
thing near the square were being dislodged. The tourist asked
anxious questions about what was taking place, and a uniformed
policeman jokingly responded that "The Battle of Athens" was
being fought again. The tourist turned ashen, said that he knew
all about Athens, and supposedly "burned rubber "from the Robert
E. Lee Hotel to the First Baptist Church, disappearing in a cloud
of dust out Ingleside Avenue. The "battle" was one of the biggest
news stories of the postwar era.

There is no way to judge the impact that the events in McMinn
County had on the rest of the state and even the nation as a
whole. Inspired by these events, others rose to end corruption
in their own communities. A figure of no less significance than
Estes Kefauver emerged from the region to challenge Crump
and win. Kefauver came to be one of the most important political
figures in the nation in the 1950s.

Freedom is repeatedly taken for granted, until it has been
fought and died for — then it becomes precious. When freedom
becomes precious, the status quo seldom remains unchallenged,
especially when justice has been compromised. For a compelling
moment on August 1, 1946, in McMinn County, freedom was

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^

A partial view of Bowaters Southern Paper Corporation, the county's
largest employer

precious. In retrospect, historians may find it difficult to assign
labels of "good guy" and "bad guy" in the "Battle of Athens. "La-
bels that designate "ins" and "outs" may finally be more appro-
priate. Nonetheless, this was the epic moment in the county's
history, and myth has long since replaced — or at least ob-
scured — the events that actually took place.

A Look Toward the Future

After World War II McMinn County underwent rapid growth
and development. The entrance of Bowaters onto the scene in
the early 1950s set the pace for the next two decades. Olin Mathe-
son and Rust Engineering soon moved into the Calhoun area,
Beaunit came to Etowah, and Westinghouse established a major
plant in Athens. All of this, coupled with the fact that almost
every existing plant in the community experienced expansion

McMINN 121

and new construction, meant that the industrial base of the county
was growing rapidly.

The vocational complexion of the county changed accordingly.
The soldiers typically did not return to the farm but instead en-
tered the plants, factories, and businesses. Many stayed in the county,
but many others commuted to Chattanooga to work at Dupont,
Combustion Engineering, and other plants. Others went to Knox-
ville and Oak Ridge to work for TVA and Union Carbide, while
still others worked on TVA construction projects throughout the
valley to build the new power plants that attracted even more in-
dustry to the region. The agricultural base of the economy rapidly
changed, although fine farms continued to exit.

This economic expansion, accompanied by the "postwar baby
boom," meant that new home construction skyrocketed. In Ath-
ens especially, whole new "subdivisions" — the word had not been
used before — sprang up in the Ingleside and City Park areas and
required that the city school system expand. Later, the neologism
"shopping center" was added, and the topography of the com-
munities changed even more. New highway construction to Eto-
wah and Englewood, plus a Highway 11 Bypass from Niota to
Riceville, greatly enhanced travel. The new interstate highway
system ultimately paralled the old ETV&G rail route and opened
the county to a revolution in trade and commerce much as the
railroad had done a century before. Today the "Golden Arches,"
Holiday Inns, and almost every other symbol of major metro-
politan centers are to be found right in the heart of the county.

In many respects, it seems that the community has become
decentralized and somehow that it has lost the focal points that
it may have had in earlier years. The owners of old family busi-
nesses could not always continue to hand their control down to
another generation, as these succeeding generations may have
moved away or somehow lacked the entrepreneurial zeal and
creativity of the founders. Many of these businesses were bought
by large conglomerates with corporate offices in distant cities.
White Industries ultimately owned several local plants; the cor-
porate giant, Pittsburgh Forges, bought Taylor Implement.

With the influx of industries from the North, new people came

122 Tennessee County History Series

into the county and rose to positions of influence — economic,
social, and political. There was a time only recently when it seemed
possible to walk the streets of each town in the county and know
almost everyone — that time has distinctly passed.

The greatest element of change may have simply been the
growing American mobility. It became too easy to go to Knoxville
or Chattanooga, Nashville or Atlanta. Their concentration of wide
ranges of choice in purchasing, dining, and entertainment was
simply more than the smaller communities could offer. Then,
large corporate interests began to build shopping centers which
further detracted from the central cities.

People seem to be searching for a new focal point around
which to center the county. This may be too tall an order for an
age in which television is rapidly completing the homogenization
of society begun by Sears & Roebuck and Henry Ford. But as
we conquer the ugly manifestations of provincialism — such as
fear and distrust of anyone or anything different — we also lose
much of the sense of continuity and tradition. The present age
has made it as conceivable to view the county as an extension of
Atlanta as it is to consider it an extension of Athens or any of
the other communities.

It will take years for the new high schools to gain the same
sense of tradition held by the old schools in the individual com-
munities. No national chain of full-service department stores can
rival the personal touch of Ed Self, Curtis Foster, and August
Adams at The Men's Shop. It is almost impossible to conceive of
the bright plastic, fast food places gaining the character of The
Cherokee Huddle, Burkett Witts — especially when it was in the
old Cleage Building — or Riddles when it was on the present
Woolworth's corner with overhead fans replacing air-condition-
ing and milk shakes served in metal containers that held the bet-
ter part of three full glasses. Undergraduates painfully watched
the demolition of Ritter Hall at Tennessee Wesleyan so that a
parking lot could be built, but the care given to Old College and
Banfield Hall (now renamed Durham) has been more than worth
the effort. Connections to the past can be preserved.

Attempts have been made to renovate downtown areas, and

McMINN

123

The Etowah L&N Depot before 1910. This building has recently been
renovated and is a local showplace.

in doing so to revitalize old business districts. Calhoun, the oldest
town, has suffered the most dilapidation. The old main street
looks beyond repair. Only one street remains with a hint of the
gracefulness of old residences. Etowah, the newest, seems to have
become progressively conscious of preserving the past. The ren-
ovated L&N station is beautifully done and a source of real civic
pride. Perhaps its successful completion will become a catalyst
for similar projects in other parts of the city.

Niota, perhaps more than any other community in the county,
has retained a great deal of its original uniqueness and charm.
The old business district, the main residential sections, and the
railroad station are strong reminders of the past. Much of this
resulted from the way that the original families and their kin
have remained close to the community.

Athens has made a variety of efforts to reclaim the downtown
area. Storefronts on both the north and south sides of the square
have been redone and made quite attractive. The South Jackson,

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Tennessee County History Series

The present county courthouse

Eastanallee area has been greatly renovated and a park con-
structed. Urban renewal has healed the scar of "Tin Can Holler,"
and new thoroughfares abound. The new courthouse, of course,
is a striking centerpiece. An element is missing, however — the
square's old character as a meeting place, a gathering place.

Ultimately, it is the people together that become the focal point
of a locality. They lend it their character and style. Unfortu-
nately, the forces of change that have swept the nation in the last
two decades have made it difficult for groups of people to have
the kind of community solidarity and identity that counties like
McMinn once enjoyed.

New generations are coming on the scene. Generations are
coming that may sense that something was missed in the postwar
era's blind rush toward the twenty-first century. If they do, they
will undoubtedly look for the kind of place that can be infused
with their spirit. McMinn County continues to be exactly that
kind of place.

Suggested Readings

Newspapers: The most extensive record of materials available on McMinn
County is to be found in the archives of The Daily Post-Athenian and, to
a somewhat lesser extent, The Etowah Enterprise. Both of these papers
have published extensive, retrospective editions coinciding with the
American Bicentennial and other important historical dates.

Public Libraries: The local history resources available at both the Athens
and Etowah public libraries are limited. A few short personal memoirs
are available. The McMinn County Historical Museum has been es-
tablished on the campus of Tennessee Wesleyan College, and is becom-
ing a center for an increasing historical consciousness in the county.

Resource Persons: James Burn at Edgewood Farm in Niota would be
an excellent contact person for futher information, as would J. Neal
Ensminger of The Daily Post- Athenian.

Books and Articles

Campbell, Mary. The Attitude of Tennesseans toward the Union. New York:
Vantage Press, 1961.

Coulter, E. M. William G. Brownlow: Fighting Parson of the Southern High-
lands. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1971.

Dykeman, Wilma: Tennessee: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton,
1975.

Goodspeed, Weston A., et al. History of Thirty East Tennessee Counties, with
Biographical Sketches (1887). rpt. Nashville: Charles and Randy Elder,
1972.

Hard Times Remembered: A Study of the Depression in McMinn County, ed.
Bill Akins and Genevieve Wiggins. Athens: McMinn County His-
torical Society, 1983.

Historical and Pictorial Review, National Guard of the State of Tennessee.
(available in annual editions with pertinent ones from McMinn
County beginning in 1939).

Keith, Charles Fleming. Personal Memoir, n.d., in Edward Gauche Fisher
Public Library, Athens,Tennessee.

Lewis,Thomas M. N.,and Madeline Kneberg. Tribes that Slumber. Knox-
ville: University of Tennessee Press, 1955.

125

126 Tennessee County History Series

Lindsley, John. The Military Annals of Tennessee: Confederate. Spartan-
burg, SC: The Reprint Co., 1974.

Martin, Leroy. "A History of Tennessee Wesleyan College." 1957 (avail-
able from the college, TWC Library, and Fisher Library).

Patten, Cartter. A Tennessee Chronicle. Chattanooga: The Author, 1953.

Sharp, John McClure. Recollections and Hearsays of Athens: Fifty Years and
Beyond. Athens: The Author, 1933.

Temple, Oliver P. East Tennessee and the Civil War. Freeport, NY: Books
for Learning Press, 1971.

Tennessee State Library and Archives. "Inventory of McMinn County
Records." Nashville: State Library and Archives, 1964-. Unpub-
lished typescript.

Tennessee Valley Authority, Industry Division. Agricultural-Industrial
Survey of McMinn County, Tennessee. Knoxville: TVA, 1934.

Turner, Martha. "The Cause of the Union in East Tennessee." Tennessee
Historical Quarterly, 40 (Winter 1981).

Valliere, Kenneth L. "Benjamin Correy, Tennessean Among the Cher-
okees: A Study of the Removal Policy of Andrew Jackson, part 1."
Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 41 (Summer of 1982).

White, T. H. "The Battle of Athens, Tennessee." Harpers Magazine,
January 1947.

Index

Illustrations are indicated by an asterisk following the
page number.

Adams, J. B. "Ace," 99

Arnwine, Bart, 79

Arterburn, Lowell F., 103

Athens, 7, 20, 26, 29, 31, 32, 38-39, 44,

117. 120, 121, 123-124; banks, 21;

battle of, xi-xii, 112-119; fires, 70;

in 1850, 20-21; in 1870, 56-59;

in 1920s, 60-64; in 1930s, 65-67
Athens Hosiery Mill, 41, 54, 61-62
Athens Mining & Manufacturing Co.,

51-55
Athens Press, 103
Athens Roller Mills, 41-42
Athens Training School, 95
Athletics, 98-100
Aytes, Glenn, 108

Baker, Rose, 78

Baptists, 83, 84, 85-86, 87, 88, 90

Barkley,Jim, 112

Blacks in county, 76—82. See also Slavery.

Blackburn, Gideon, 91

Blair, Samuel P., 68, 69

"Blue Front," 73*, 74, 89

Bovvaters Southern Paper Corporation,

40, 120*
Bovd, Spencer, 31
Bradford, Mary, 9
Bradford,JamesC.,29
Bradford, James S., 31
Brient, Jacob, James & Mortimer, 49
Brown, Buck, 99-100
Brown, Dillard, 90
Browning Circle, 103-104
Brownlow, Parson William G., 27-28, 86
Bryan, Retta, 75
Bryan, M. L., 75
Buchanan, Brice, 79
Burn, T. Harry, 113, 114*
Burn.J. L.,69, 70
Buttram, Jim, 1 17

Calhoun, 7, 9, 20, 31, 40, 67, 91, 120, 123
Calhoun, John, 1 12
Cantrell, John, 1 1-13

Cantrell, Paul, 115, 116, 118

Cantrell family, 74-75

Gate, A. M., 36

Cherokee Removal, 16-19

Chesnutt,J. W.,49

Chesnutt, Nannie, 49

Church of Christ, 90

Civil War, 28-39; early emancipation

position, 23-24; Greeneville

Convention, 26; impact of war, 31-32;

newspapers, 101; referendum votes,

25, 26. See also States' rights

controversy.
Clegg (Cleage), Samuel, 1 1
Coffey, Asbury M., 10-1 1, 46
Collins, H. A., 68, 70
Confederate units, 29-30
Cook, J. L. (Jake), 80, 87-88
Cook High School, 95-96
Cooke, James B., 30
Cooke, William Henry, 13, 46
Crescent Hosiery Mill, 41, 69-70
Crutchfield, Thomas, 1 1
Cumberland Presbyterians, 82-83

Daily Post- Athenian, 1 1-1 02

Davis, George Barber, 91

Davis, O. L., 74

Deal, Bob "Mr. Dirty," 100

Derrick, John, 106

Dills Company of Vaughn s Brigade,

37-38
Dodson, Jesse, 90
Dodson, Oliver M., 39
Dotson, Walt, 79
Duggari, Ralph, 116, 118

East Tennessee & Georgia RR, 46-47, 68;

first officials, 46; schedule, 47
Early settlers in county, 7-14, 20
Education, 90-100; of Cherokees, 17
Elkins, John, 1 12
Ellis, Walter, 1 1 7
Englewood, 49-50, 87, 99. See also

Tellico function.

127

28

Tennessee County History Series

Ensminger. J. Neal, 81, 101-103,
102*, 117

Etowah. 43. 48-49. 72-76. 117, 120. 123;

attorneys. 75; Carnegie Library, 76;

churches, 88—90; early businesses,

73-75; health care, 75-76
Etowah Enterprises, 101, 103

Federal units, 30-3 1

Fires. 70

Fisher, R.J. Jr.. 61

Fisher, R.J. Sr, 52, 53*, 54, 61

Foree. Drs. J. O., Ed, & Carey, 66

Foreman, James, 18

Forest Hill Academy, 91, 92*, 95

Forest Hill School, 66

Forrest, Albartus, 30

Forrest, W. F. & family, 69, 70

Fountain Hill Academy, 92

Froneberger, W. R., 75

Garwood, Sid, 51

Gatewood,JohnP.,32

Getty s, Frank, 42

Gettys, James, 47, 80

Gettys, Uncle Nelse, 80

Gettys, Tobe, 67

Giles, Warren, 108-109, 112

Gillespie, Tom, 1 17

Goforth, Dr. N. B., 92

Gouldy,J.A., 29

Grand View Hotel, 54-55. See also

"Red Elephant."
Gregory, J. W., 51
Grubb, Wayne, 100

Harrell, Bob, 117
Hart, John, 5-6
Henry, Knox, 118-119
Hiwassee Academy, 91
Hiwassee Rail Road, 11, 44-46
Hiwassee River, 1 , 3
Hiwassee River Bridge, 35-37
Hughes, Charles, 112
Hughes, Joe, 34

Indians, 3-5, 16-19,90-91
Industrial development, 40-75, 121
Ivins, Dan, 75
Ivins, Samuel P., 44, 101

Jackson, Amos, 80
Jackson, R.C., 44
Jarnigan, Hamilton, 42
Johnson, Charles, 87

Johnson, Harper, 80-81

Kefauver, Estes, 13, 119

Keith, Charles F. Jr., 63, 104

Keith, Charles Fleming, 13-14, 20

Keith, Elliot, 42-43

Keith, William, 79

Keith Memorial Church, 13, 86, 102

Kelley,John, 107

Kennedy brothers, 74, 118

King, Horace, 80

Knox, Glenn "Mutt," 98-99

Land, J. R., 87

Lane, Isaac & Tidence, 14, 84

Lane,JamesT.,27,34

Lavender, Wayne E., 109

Lay, Carl, 112

Lee Highway, 64-65

Lewis, J. N., 73

Lillard, David W, 75, 107-108

List, Gussie Rose, 90

Lowry, William, 20

Lowry, Willie, 29

McClary, Dr. Spenser, 75-76

McDermott, W P. H., 29

McGaughey,John, 26, 39

McKinney, Frank, 73, 103

McMinn, Joseph, 14-15

McMinn County: courthouses, 1 1,
12*, 124*; first officials, 20; map,
2; organization of, 20; 1834
population, 20

McMinn County High School, 96

Mansfield, Pat, 115,117

Matlock, Isaac, 79

May, M. R., 26

Mayfield, Jessie, 1 1

Mayfield Dairy Farms, 60, 61*

Meigs, Return J., 15, 21, 91

Methodists, 83-84, 86-87, 88, 89, 91,

96-97
Miller, M. M.,51
Mills, early, 41-43
Moses, Herman L., 108
Moses, Walter E., 108
Mount Harmony Select School, 92-94
Mouse Creek (Niota), 21, 30, 47, 68,

70—71, 92; early merchants and

settlers, 21
Mouse Creek Academy, 69, 92, 93*

Nankiville, Dr.J. R., 66, 104

McMINN

129

Nash, W.E., 77-78,81-82

National Guard; 1901 volunteers, 104;

polite action in Mexico, 106
Neal, John R., 29
Neil, John C, 30
Newspapers, 100-103
Nichols, J. O., 75
Nineteenth Amendment, 1 13
Niota, 68-72, 92, 123; Bank of, 70.

See also Mouse Creek.

"Old College," 34-35
Owen, J. B., 110

Parker, Dr. P. E., 75
Powers, Ozelle, 94
Presbyterians, 82, 85, 87, 90, 91, 94
Public schools, early, 94—95

Railroads, 43-51, 68, 72

Rains, John, 73

Reagan, James Hayes, 44—45*, 47

Red Elephant, the, 54-55, 56*

Religion, 82-90

Rice, Charles, 67

Riceville, 21,31, 67-68

Riceville Academy, 92

Riddles, 122

Ridenour, Prof. J. C, 66-67

Robb, James L., 97

Robinson, Charles P., 108

Rogers, John, 91

Ross, George W., 39

Rowley, Erastus, 97

Rucker, E. W., 29

Sanford,21,67
Saulpaw, G. L., 41
Scheeler, Reuben, 79
Schermerhorn, J. E, 18
Schultz, H. L.,68
Scott, Charles Jr., 1 17
Senter, DeWitt C, 28
Seventh TN Mounted Infantry

Regiment, USA, 38-39
Sevier, Elizabeth, 7
Sharp, J. M.,65, 80

Sharp, Mrs. Ruth, 90

Shelton, James, 9-10

Sherman, Gen. William T., 32-33, 36-67

Slack, Ephraim, 41

Slavery, 22, 23. 77-78

Spanish explorers, 6-7

Spence, John Fletcher, 97

Spradling, Daisy Rice, 103

Spriggs, Pat, 79

Springston, Isaac, 18

Staley, C. B., 70

Stamey, Henry, 90

States' rights controversy, 24-27

Summers, Leroy, 1 1 1

Tellico Junction, 48, 49, See also

Englewood.
Tellico Railroad Co., 49
Tennessee Coach Co., 51
Tennessee Wesleyan College, 54, 96—98,

122. See also "Old College."
Thompson, Riley, 42
Todd, Donald, 75
Trew, J. W., 43
Tucker, R. L., 74

Unionists, 25, 26, 38-39

Vandivere, S. H., 74

Van Dyke, T Nixon, 21, 32, 46

Vestal, Ed, 117

Walker, John, 5, 8-9

Walker, John Jr., 16, 18,20

Walker s Ferry, 9, 91

Wankan, Fred, 101-102

Ward, Nancy, 7

Wattenbarger family, 34

W r hite Cliffs Springs Resort, 50*— 51

Willson, H. M., 70

Willson, Hugh, 70

Willson, William, 60

Wilson, C. H.,79

Witt, Burkett, 79, 122

Woods, George, 115, 118

Woods Memorial Hospital, 75

World War I, 106-108

World War II, 108-112

About the Author

Steve Byrum was born in 1947 in Athens and spent the first
eighteen years of his life in McMinn County. Since that time he
has continued to live in proximity to the county and to retain
many family ties there.

His mothers family (Bradford) were original settlers in the
Calhoun area, have a part Cherokee lineage, and trace their
English ancestry to William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony.
His fathers family had been tenant farmers who came into the
area shortly after the turn of the century from the northeastern
part of the state.

Dr. Byrum is a graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College, with
a master of divinity degree from Southern Seminary in Louis-
ville, and master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees in
philosophy from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is
presently assistant dean of humanities and associate professor
of philosophy at Chattanooga State Community College, and has
written extensively in many areas.

He is married to the former Phyllis Hughes of Athens, whose
ancestry is Henderson, Frye and Kelley. They have two children,
Philip and Meredith, and live in Chattanooga.

msM